Department for Transport

Public Transport: Fares

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that public transport operators reduce fares to pass onto passengers the benefit of falling petrol and diesel prices.

Mr John Hayes: I am aware that my Rt Hon Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury recently wrote to the five largest UK bus operators seeking their assurance that they are doing all they can to ensure passengers benefit from the fall in oil prices. The bus market outside London is deregulated, with the vast majority of services provided on a commercial basis by private sector bus operators. Decisions on the level of fares are a commercial matter for individual bus operators.

Cycling

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the beneficial effects of the additional cycling activity generated as a result of the Cycle to Work scheme.

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the effect on public health and (b) other effects of increases in the number of people cycling as a result of the Cycle to Work scheme.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the cycle to work scheme because the Department does not collect date on the uptake of the scheme. The Cycle to Work Scheme is an employee benefit covered by an exemption and therefore employers do not have to make an annual tax return regarding the benefit. The Government would like to see an increase in the numbers of people cycling and the number of trips made by bicycle as it is an environmentally friendly and healthy way to get around. The Government actively encourages sustainable travel including cycling to work, and works with local authorities and other stakeholders to ensure that the government’s sustainable transport objectives are met. The Department has not assessed the beneficial effects of the Cycle to Work Scheme because the Scheme is administered by the Cycle to Work Alliance. The Alliance has published a number of research reports, based on extensive surveys of users that have focused on the sustainable transport and public health contribution of the scheme. The reports are available on their website as follows: www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk.

Roads: Accidents

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2015 to Question 220690, in how many of the accidents was the vehicle involved a large goods vehicle; and how many fatalities were caused by each such accident.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of fatal road accidents in which a driver of Heavy Goods Vehicles (over 3.5 tonnes) had “Fatigue” as contributory factor together with the number of fatalities resulting from those accidents is given below: YearNumber of fatal accidents Number of fatalities20119 1020128 9201310 11

First Transpennine Express

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects electrification of TransPennine routes to be completed.

Claire Perry: Network Rail continues to work towards delivering electrification as specified. This is an extremely challenging programme and we are working closely with Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation to ensure successful delivery. As with any programme of this ambition and complexity, the programme is kept constantly under review. Timescales for elements of infrastructure programmes that will be delivered further into the future are naturally less certain. This reflects the time required for planning and procurement, for modifying bridges and tunnels to provide sufficient clearances and for securing connections to the National Grid for the power for the overhead lines.

Parking

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle cars parking dangerously against the flow of traffic.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In accordance with Rule 248 of the Highway Code, motorists are prohibited from parking a vehicle against the direction of traffic at night unless it is on a part of the road set aside for the parking of vehicles. The Police and local authorities have powers to enforce against this type of dangerous parking. This requirement is less of an issue during daylight hours when parked vehicles can be seen more easily, although Rule 239 of the Highway Code states “do not park facing against the traffic flow”.

Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reason is for the changes planned to resource expenditure on community rail and research and freightliner lease in 2015-16.

Claire Perry: It is important that community rail receives increased financial support to allow Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) and the rail industry to improve local rail services, stations and thereby deliver excellent passenger benefits for local people and visitors. Recent research has shown that CRPs and station adopters are delivering real economic and social benefits for the communities they serve. We will work to put CRPs on a more sustainable footing thorough the government's franchising programme. This will see community rail funding requirements written in to more franchising agreements in future. Though our budgets for 2015 - 2016 are still to be finalised we expect that we will be uplifting the grant we pay to Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) so that they can better support CRPs and station adopters. With regard to our planned expenditure on freightliner lease and research we are expecting no material change.

Rail Executive

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual resource budget is of his Department's Rail Executive.

Claire Perry: The annual resource budget of Department for Transport (Rail Executive) for 2014/15 was thus:Resource Del (admin) budget - £67.2m*Resource Del (programme budget) - £(794.4)m*The credit resource delegated budget represents the net of: resource grant and subsidy payments offset by TOC premia receipts and the financial indemnity management fee due to the Department from Network Rail.

Rail Delivery Group

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of the support provided by his Department to the Rail Delivery Group in each year since 2011-12.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State for Transport has not provided any support in value to Rail Delivery Group (RDG) since 2011-12. The Secretary of State regularly engages with Rail Delivery Group on industry matters and issues.

Rail National Taskforce

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of the support provided by his Department to the Rail National Taskforce in each year since 2009-10.

Claire Perry: The Department is a member of the National Task Force but has not provided it with financial support over this period.

Roads: Capital Investment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish summaries of the individual feasibility studies conducted as part of the Road Investment Strategy process.

Mr John Hayes: Department officials are working on the individual feasibility studies with the aim of publishing as soon as possible.

Railways: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222242, which projects comprise the 155 miles of electric spine including East West Rail; and what the mileage of each such project is.

Claire Perry: The projects and mileages are:  Southampton Port to Basingstoke34 milesBasingstoke to Southcote Junction (Reading)14 milesOxford to Leamington Spa43 milesLeamington Spa to Coventry9 milesCoventry to Nuneaton9 milesOxford to Bedford46 miles

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will install air quality monitoring equipment in the areas where phase one of the High Speed 2 railway line is planned to be constructed.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The draft Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) which was published as part of the HS2 Phase One Environmental Statement sets out a series of measures to be applied during construction including measures to monitor air quality. The draft CoCP states that the nominated undertaker will require its contractors to implement inspection and monitoring procedures to assess the effectiveness of measures to prevent dust and air pollutant emissions.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce homelessness in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire, (c) Kirklees and (d) Huddersfield.

Kris Hopkins: Homelessness remains lower than in 27 of the last 30 years. It is around half the average level it was under the last Labour Government .This Government has maintained one the strongest safety nets in the world for families who become homeless through no fault of their own. We have invested over £500 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. This funding has helped local authorities in Yorkshire to prevent over 79,000 cases of homelessness since 2010.Two groups of Yorkshire Councils have recently been awarded a share of the £8 million Help for Single Homeless funding to strengthen their services for single homeless people. A project led by East Riding of Yorkshire received £250,000 to help offenders access accommodation and another in Leeds received £250,000 to develop a service hub for rough sleepers.

Local Government Finance

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the formula grant allocation was in each local authority in each year since 2010-11; and what the planned such allocations are for 2015-16.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



Formula grant has not existed since 2012-13, as a consequence of the introduction of the local retention of business rates. Historic figures can be found in the local government finance settlements, presented to the House each year, which are also available on the National Archives website. The hon. Member may wish to refresh himself with our introductory guides to local government finance, which can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-plain-english-guide-to-the-local-government-finance-settlement-2015-to-2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-the-local-government-finance-settlement-2015-to-2016

Empty Property

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what written representations his Department received on the introduction of a vacant building credit in 2014.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the minutes or meetings he and Ministers in his Department held with private developers in 2014 and the names of the people attending those meetings.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Empty Property

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the minutes and lists of attendees of meetings he and Ministers in his Department held with external organisations on the introduction of a vacant building credit in 2014.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Empty Property

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 November 2014, HCWS50, whether any exemptions were considered in relation to the vacant building credit.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Empty Property

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 28 November 2014, HCWS50, whether an impact assessment was carried out on the proposal to introduce a vacant building credit and the effect of that proposal on the provision of new affordable housing.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that billing authorities pass on in full to local councils council tax support funding which his Department earmarked for those councils.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to ensure that parish councils will be fully compensated for effects arising from the implementation of localised council tax support schemes.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes in the private rented sector reach energy-efficiency standard (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Communication

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department's communications budget was in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mr David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office budgets are devolved to London departments and overseas posts so there is no central Departmental budget for communications and to establish this figure would incur disproportionate cost. Budget outturns for the period requested for the central Communications Directorate, and for the preceding year for comparison, are as follows:09/10: 4,510,48010/11: 2,686,94511/12: 2,189,78912/13: 2,131,32413/14: 2,037,68014/15: 1,698,461Between 2009-10, the last year of the previous administration, and 2014-15, costs have been reduced by 62%.

Tony Blair

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Tony Blair has been provided with (a) transport and (b) accommodation in posts in (i) Azerbaijan, (ii) Kazakhstan, (iii) Kuwait, (iv) Abu Dhabi, (v) Albania and (vi) Libya since Mr Blair left office.

Mr David Lidington: We have searched the available records to provide this answer. To search archived records would incur disproportionate cost.From the information available, there is no record of Mr Blair having been provided with transport or accommodation in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Albania or Libya since leaving office.

Cyprus

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Turkish government on locating people missing as a result of violence in Cyprus in 1974.

Mr David Lidington: We share the concerns of both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities over the missing persons following the events of 1974. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not had any recent discussions with the Turkish government about this, but we take very seriously the issue of missing persons in Cyprus. We supported UN Security Council Resolution 2197 renewing the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which called upon all parties to provide more expeditious, full access to all areas. The UK also contributes to the work of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which supervises the implementation of the European Court of Human Rights judgement in Cyprus v Turkey of 2001 on missing persons. We strongly support the humanitarian work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus, in which bi-communal teams undertake painstaking and sensitive work. So far, the remains of 568 individuals have been identified and returned to their families. We have supported the work of the CMP financially, donating US$220,133 bilaterally, while EU funding of the CMP, to which the UK contributes, totalled US$16,289,719 from 2006-14. In addition to this financial support, the UK facilitates the CMP by enabling it to work from a British-owned site in the Buffer Zone, thus easing its administration costs. The British High Commission in Nicosia remains in regular contact with the CMP to establish how the UK may further support its work.

Brazil

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Brazilian counterpart on climate change.

Mr David Lidington: The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is a top foreign policy priority for the Government. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of countries at ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change. I discussed climate change with my Brazilian counterpart on 6 January and it will also feature at our Strategic Dialogue on 26 February.

Peru

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on climate change.

Mr David Lidington: The Department of Energy and Climate Change leads the UK’s effort to tackle climate change. Securing a global and binding climate deal, in December this year, that keeps alive prospects for limiting global warming to within 2C is also a top foreign policy priority for the FCO. Together we raise climate change with a wide range of international partners at ministerial level and through the Special Representative for Climate Change. Sir David King, the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative for Climate Change met with Peruvian Ministers several times in 2014 before and during the UN negotiations in Lima in December.

Attorney General

Drugs: Crime

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what his Department's charging policy is on drug possession offences in relation to the quantity of each class of drug found to be in the offender's possession.

Mr Robert Buckland: The decision whether to prosecute a drug possession offence is made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Code requires that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.   Where prosecutors are satisfied that it can be proved that a person is in possession of a controlled drug, the public interest will be determined by a number of factors, including the seriousness of the offence and the culpability of the offender. In published guidance to prosecutors on charging possession of drugs ( http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/drug_offences/ ), the CPS indicates that a prosecution would be usual in cases involving possession of Class A drugs. A prosecution would also be usual for possession of more than a minimal quantity of Class B or C drugs.   In cases where a guilty plea is anticipated in cases suitable for sentence in a magistrates’ court, the police can charge or caution for drugs possession without recourse to CPS.

Criminal Proceedings

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of criminal cases the Crown Prosecution Service instructed the independent Bar to prosecute in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Mr Robert Buckland: The CPS does not centrally record the number of instructions to advocates from the self-employed Bar. Were it to do so, such data would need to take account of changes to the instructed advocate during the course of proceedings; cases in which more than one advocate is instructed; and cases in which an in-house advocate may be instructed initially but where an advocate from the self-employed Bar was subsequently instructed.The CPS retains payment data in respect of volume cases in the Crown Court managed under the graduated fee scheme (GFS). This shows the proportion of Crown Court work prosecuted by advocates from the self-employed Bar in value terms as a proportion of GFS value, for the years requested:- 2010-11 72%- 2011-12 69%- 2012-13 70%- 2013-14 71%- 2014-15 75% (first 3 quarters only)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that local small businesses will be part of the supply chain for the Hinkley Point C development.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 05 February 2015



The Government is working with the developer, EDF Energy, and its industrial delivery partners to identify opportunities for UK businesses, including local small businesses, in the supply chain for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant development. EDF Energy has indicated that 57% of the construction opportunities at the new power plant will go to UK companies, and there will be significant opportunities for local businesses to provide goods and services to the site. Support from Government is being provided in various ways, including through the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the Manufacturing Advisory Service to help companies in the region, and nationally, to enhance their competitiveness.   In addition, support is being provided for local supply chain brokerage, enhancement of skills, improving local employability, and attracting inward investors to the region to generate growth and job opportunities. To help coordinate this activity, the relevant Government departments (the Department for Energy and Climate Change, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Transport and their agencies) participate in the Hinkley Strategic Delivery Forum, working in partnership with the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, local authorities and skills bodies.

Prisoners: Qualifications

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many prisoners completed AS and A level courses or their equivalents under the Offender Learning and Skills Service contract in prison in each year since 2010.

Nick Boles: Table 1 shows the number of offenders aged 18 and over who achieved in A Level, AS Level and other Level 3 learning from 2010/11 to 2013/14. Table 1. Adult (18+) FE & Skills – Offender Learning Achievements (2010/11 to 2013/14) – Learner Volumes Academic Year 2010/112011/122012/132013/14  Achievements  70,300  71,900  68,400  79,700  of which: Level 31,2001,2001,400600 A Levels---- AS Levels10--10 Notes 1) ‘-’ Indicates a base value of less than 5.

Prisons: Education

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what types of learning beyond level 1 and 2 courses are available to prisoners.

Nick Boles: Under the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) arrangements, vocational and other courses at Level 3 are available to adults in prisons across England.   In addition to OLASS provision, higher education is also available. Most prisoners who study at that level do so via the Open University.

Apprentices

Mr Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved institutions on ensuring that policy on, and the operation of, the ICT and digital Degree Apprenticeship qualifications being introduced in England in September 2015 is linked to similar initiatives in other parts of the UK.

Nick Boles: The devolved administrations were consulted during the review of apprenticeships, and officials have engaged with them since to consider any implications for their own apprenticeship programmes. There have been no specific discussions on the ICT and digital Degree Apprenticeship qualifications being introduced in England.

Further Education

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what responsibilities local authorities will have in relation to further education as part of the (a) Manchester and (b) Sheffield City Deal.

Nick Boles: The Government has announced separate devolution agreements with the Combined Authorities in Greater Manchester and Sheffield City Region, which puts them in the driving seat in designing a local skills system that is responsive to labour market needs and economic priorities by 2017. The Combined Authorities will enable the constituent local authorities in the areas to take joint decisions on skills and key growth policies.The Government will work with the respective Combined Authorities to reshape and restructure their FE systems so they meet their future economic requirements. The Government will devolve the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) to the Combined Authorities, and it will work with them on how to improve the ability of the skills system to respond to local labour market needs and economic priorities.

Tobacco: Packaging

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Intellectual Property Office has made of the potential effect of the introduction of standardised tobacco products on intellectual property rights.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government believes that standardised packaging is a proportionate and justified response to the considerable public health harm from smoking tobacco. We continue to consider carefully all issues relevant to the policy, including the impact on intellectual property rights.

Apprentices: North West

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in the last five years; and how many of those apprenticeships were in the services industry.

Nick Boles: Information on apprenticeship starts by geography and sector subject area is published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (SFR): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/400024/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-and-sector-subject-area.xls   Apprenticeship data are not available by industrial sector.

Ordnance Survey

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the value of the intellectual copyright held by Ordnance Survey.

Matthew Hancock: No estimate has been made of the value of the Crown copyright and data rights in material held by Ordnance Survey. When Ordnance Survey became a Trading Fund in 1999, the opening balance sheet of the Trading Fund did not include an asset value in respect of this Intellectual Property (the geographic data held on the National Geographic Database) as the applicable accounting standards at that time did not enable valuation of the asset. When Ordnance Survey transitions to a government owned company, copyright and data rights will remain the property of the Crown.

Ordnance Survey

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with whom he consulted and what representations he received before taking the decision that Ordnance Survey should become a government-owned company.

Matthew Hancock: The change to a Government–owned Company is operational in nature, designed to improve the performance of the organisation. There are no legislative requirements to the change and no proposed change in ownership. As the project has developed, the Department and the Ordnance Survey management have held discussions with interested parties across the public and business sectors, as well as with Ordnance Survey staff.

Ordnance Survey

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what timetable he has set for Ordnance Survey to become a government-owned company.

Matthew Hancock: It is the intention to vest Ordnance Survey into a Government-owned Company by the end of the Financial Year.   The change to a Government–owned Company is operational in nature, designed to improve the performance of the organisation. There are no legislative requirements to the change and no proposed change in ownership. As the project has developed, the Department and the Ordnance Survey management have held discussions with interested parties across the public and business sectors, as well as with Ordnance Survey staff.

Apprentices

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total advertising budget is for the Get In. GO Far campaign; and how much has been spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other advertising using the phrase Get In. GO Far in the last 24 months.

Nick Boles: The spend on the Get In Go Far campaign was agreed with the Minister for the Cabinet Office through the Efficiency Reform Group in 2014 following a direct commission from the Prime Minister. The campaign is aimed at young people aged 14-24, parents of 14-24s, and teachers to establish apprenticeships as the norm alongside A levels and university. The campaign began on 20 August 2014. The budget is £6,007,000 of which the items specified below are receipted spend by the end of January 2015.   TV£1,180,000Press£376,000Digital£1,060,000Out of home (posters, bus panels, shopping malls)£1,173,000Media partnership cross format package, including press, radio, TV and online channels.£489,000

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings he has had on the Department of Health's Responsibility Deal; and whom he has met on that matter.

Jo Swinson: My Rt. Hon. friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not had any such meetings.

Business

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total advertising budget is for the GREAT Business campaign; and how much has been spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other advertising using the phrase GREAT Business in the last 24 months.

Matthew Hancock: The Business is GREAT is aimed at small businesses to inspire them to grow their business by taking up a growth behaviour such as hiring staff, exporting and so forth. The Business is GREAT Britain campaign began in November 2013. The overall budget for 2013/14 was £5.2m and for 2014/15 it is £7.5m. The spend via the channels requested are listed below. Please note that for 2014 / 2015 the figures are what we have receipted up until February 6 2015:2013 / 20142014 / 2015Television£0£0Newspaper£1,126,792.32£956,730.84Online£1,798,539.90£988,165.53Radio£0£444,142.66Out of home (posters, bus panels, shopping malls)£760,636.69£699,824.58

Department for International Development

Burma

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance the Government gave to the Ministry of Education in Burma on that country's National Education Law.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK Government has not provided any funding directly to the government of Burma in developing the National Education Law. DFID, together with other International Development Partners, has funded technical inputs to the Burmese Ministry of Education’s evidence-based review of the education sector. This review has informed the development of the National Education Law. I met with Burma’s Deputy Minister for Education in January and encouraged the government of Burma to consult with donors and civil society on further rules relating to the National Education Law.

Developing Countries: Politics and Government

Sir Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the objectives are for the World Bank's Global Partnership for Social Accountability; what role her Department plays on that partnership's steering committee; and if she will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The World Bank’s Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) supports governments and civil society to work together to solve critical governance challenges in developing countries. GPSA aims to create an enabling environment in which citizen feedback is used to solve fundamental problems in service delivery and to strengthen the performance of public institutions.   DFID has been a member of the steering committee since GPSA started in 2012, sharing its knowledge and advisory capacity. The steering committee sets out the overall strategy for GPSA and approves grants for programmatic activities such as improving budget transparency or improving access to and quality of service delivery.

South Sudan

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial aid the UK plans to provide (a) the central government and (b) local authorities in South Sudan in 2014-15.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK will not provide any financial aid to central government or local authorities in South Sudan in 2014-15. The UK will provide around £150m in aid for South Sudan in 2014/15, which is channelled through UN agencies, commercial contractors and NGOs to deliver both humanitarian support and longer term development programmes.

CDC

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much CDC Group funding the Department has invested using Emerging Capital Partners.

Justine Greening: US$137.9m has been invested to date in funds managed by ECP.

CDC

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much CDC Group funding the Department has invested using Ethos.

Justine Greening: CDC has committed a total of US$30m to a fund managed by Ethos, of which US$21m has been invested to date.

Department for Education

Audit

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 128 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, HC 745, what the reasons are for the increase in auditors' remuneration compared to the previous financial year.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 128 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, HC 745, what the reasons are for the increace in consultancy costs compared to the previous financial year.

Mr Nick Gibb: Auditors’ and educational consultancy remunerations have increased in 2013-14 to reflect the increasing number of academies consolidated into the Department for Education’s accounts. In 2013-14, 2,585 Academy Trusts were consolidated into the Department’s accounts (2012-13: 2,108 Academy Trusts). Audit fees are costs incurred by Academy Trusts in fulfilling their statutory duty of ensuring that their financial statements are audited whilst non-audit fees may include fees for preparing statutory accounts and management accounts, internal audit and systems check and payroll preparation.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222135 whether her Department consulted the police on the decision not to publish the successful application by Kings Science Academy Bradford.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education did not consult with West Yorkshire Police on the publication of the application by Kings Science Academy. However, as we have said on previous occasions, West Yorkshire Police must be allowed to complete their investigation into matters at Kings Science Academy and make their judgments about referrals to the Crown Prosecution Service without information that might be relevant to their case being put into the public domain.

GCSE: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils took GCSEs in (a) dance, (b) art and crafts, (c) I.T. (d) art and design, (e) drama, (f) media, film and television and (g) music in Pendle in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Gibb: The requested information has been provided in the table below.GCSE results[1][2]3] of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in Pendle parliamentary constituency[4]YearDanceInformation TechnologyArt and Design[5]DramaMedia, Film and TelevisionMusic2009/10178026813398402010/11144224613578462011/12141142227560272012/138632449051352013/14[6][7] 01152221439264  Source: key stage 4 attainment data[1] Includes GCSE Full Course and Vocational Single Award.[2] Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.[3] Prior to 2013/14, discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once and only the best grade is counted. In 2013/14, due to methodological changes discounting rules have been changed. Further information is available from the GCSE statistical first release available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2013-to-2014.[4] Covers local authority-funded schools; academies; free schools; city technology colleges; community and foundation special schools; hospital schools and FE sector colleges.[5] Includes Arts and Crafts.[6] Figures for 2013/14 are revised, all other figures are final.[7] Figures for 2013/14 are based on the new 2013/14 methodology where the Professor Alison Wolf’s recommendations and first entry policy has been implemented. Therefore the results for 2013/14 academic years are not directly comparable to previous years.

Arts: Primary Education

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what changes there have been in the level of participation in (a) dance, (b) music, (c) theatre and (d) arts and crafts in primary schools in Pendle in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Gibb: The requested information is not held by the Department.

Sports: Primary Education

Mr Gerry Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate how much of the PE and sport premium for primary schools has been spent on external providers since that scheme began.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education cannot provide an accurate estimate of how much of the physical education (PE) and sport premium schools have spent on external providers since funding began in 2013 because schools are not required to provide a breakdown of their spending to the Department.  Independent research has found that 67% of schools have used the premium to employ a new sports coach. 70% of schools reported making changes to staff who deliver curricular PE lessons. There has also been an increase in the number of schools employing specialist teachers from 22% to 54%.

Carers: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219294, what her estimate is of the cost to the Department of the research project on the number of young carers in England.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219294, what date she set for the research project on the number of young carers in England to be completed.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has commissioned a research study into the lives of young carers in England. The costs of this study will not exceed £270,000 (exclusive of VAT) over the financial years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. The research will be completed by 31 March 2016.

Adoption

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219289, what the technical reasons were for the decision to delay the introduction of the Adoption Register.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Government is unable to disclose the technical reasons for the delay in the launch of the pilot to allow approved adopters to search the Adoption Register because they are commercial in confidence.

Free School Meals: Blackpool

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students who qualified for free school meals in schools in Blackpool South constituency received five GCSEs Grade A* to C including mathematics and English in the (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2009-10 academic year; and what those numbers represent as a proportion of the total number.

Mr David Laws: Figures for GCSE attainment for the academic year 2014/15 are not yet available. Figures for the 2013/14 academic year by pupil characteristics were published on GOV.UK[1] in January 2015. A time series of local authority attainment for pupils by free school meal eligibility at local authority level is included in the publication; constituency level information by pupil characteristics is not published. Published figures for the number of pupils eligible for free school meals who received five GCSEs grade A* to C including English and mathematics in the academic years 2013/14 and 2009/10 for Blackpool local authority and England can be found in the table attached.  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014 



GCSE achievement FSM eligible Blackpool LA & Engla
(Excel SpreadSheet, 29.5 KB)

GCSE: Blackpool

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students in schools under the control of Blackpool Education Authority in Blackpool South constituency received five GCSEs Grade A* to C including mathematics and English in the (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2009-10 academic year; and what those numbers represent as a proportion of the total number.

Mr David Laws: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 February 2015.The correct answer should have been:

GCSE attainment figures for the academic year 2014/15 are not yet available. Figures for the 2013/14 academic year were published in January 2015. Attainment at constituency and local authority level are only published for all state funded schools including academies and city technical colleges. Further school type breakdowns below national level are not published. The latest publication including constituency figures can be found in the GCSE statistics series on GOV.UK.[1] Figures for Blackpool South parliamentary constituency in 2009/10 were published in the In Your Area website.[2] Figures for the number of pupils in state-funded schools in Blackpool South constituency who achieved five or more A* - C grades including English and mathematics GCSEs in the academic years 2013/14 and 2009/10 can be found in the following table, with figures for Blackpool local authority and England as comparators. Achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils1 at the end of key stage 4 in Blackpool local authority and in Englandby parliamentary constiuency of school location   Years: 2009/10 to 2013/14 (revised)2,3,4   Coverage: England, state-funded schools (including academies and CTCs) Warning: 2013/14 figures not comparable to earlier years  Number of eligible pupils1 Number achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs% achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs2013/14 Blackpool South60125342.1 Blackpool LA1,44063344.0 National556,002315,87356.82009/10  Blackpool South60526343.5 Blackpool LA1,60776847.8 National575,970318,72055.3Source: National pupil database (2009/10) and key stage 4 attainment data (2013/14) 1. Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in each academic year.2. Figures for 2009/10 are based on final data. Figures for 2013/14 are based on revised data.3. New 2014 methodology applied to 2013/14 data (see SFR main text).4. In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures data: Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations and an early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification. Consequently, Iit is not possible to directly compare 2013/14 figures with earlier years.[1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014[2] www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/index.shtml

Mr David Laws: GCSE attainment figures for the academic year 2014/15 are not yet available. Figures for the 2013/14 academic year were published in January 2015. Attainment at constituency and local authority level are only published for all state funded schools including academies and city technical colleges. Further school type breakdowns below national level are not published. The latest publication including constituency figures can be found in the GCSE statistics series on GOV.UK.[1] Figures for Blackpool South parliamentary constituency in 2009/10 were published in the In Your Area website.[2] Figures for the number of pupils in state-funded schools in Blackpool South constituency who achieved five or more A* - C grades including English and mathematics GCSEs in the academic years 2013/14 and 2009/10 can be found in the following table, with figures for Blackpool local authority and England as comparators. Achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils1 at the end of key stage 4 in Blackpool local authority and in Englandby parliamentary constiuency of school location   Years: 2009/10 to 2013/14 (revised)2,3,4   Coverage: England, state-funded schools (including academies and CTCs) Warning: 2013/14 figures not comparable to earlier years  Number of eligible pupils1 Number achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs% achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs2013/14 Blackpool South60125342.1 Blackpool LA1,44063344.0 National556,002315,87356.82009/10  Blackpool South60526343.5 Blackpool LA1,60776847.8 National575,970318,72055.3Source: National pupil database (2009/10) and key stage 4 attainment data (2013/14) 1. Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in each academic year.2. Figures for 2009/10 are based on final data. Figures for 2013/14 are based on revised data.3. New 2014 methodology applied to 2013/14 data (see SFR main text).4. In 2013/14, two major reforms were implemented which affect the calculation of key stage 4 performance measures data: Professor Alison Wolf’s Review of Vocational Education recommendations and an early entry policy to only count a pupil’s first attempt at a qualification. Consequently, Iit is not possible to directly compare 2013/14 figures with earlier years.[1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014[2] www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/index.shtml

Nurseries: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nurseries closed in each district and unitary local authority area in Lancashire in 2014.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Ofsted is responsible for operating the register of providers of childcare and early years education and publishes statistics twice yearly. These statistics include figures for the number of providers in local authority areas that leave the register and are available on the Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/registered-childcare-providers-and-places-in-england-december-2008-onwards

Carers: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young carers are in receipt of free school meals in maintained schools.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect this information centrally.

Family Rights Group

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015 to Question 221698, if she will publish the feedback to local authorities on the findings of the Family Rights Group's work.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Family Rights Group will publish its review of the quality of local authority family and friends care policies in spring 2015.

Ministry of Justice

Travel

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what total amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Andrew Selous: (a) This information has already been published and can be found at: (i) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080722/wmstext/80722m0008.htm(ii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090716/wmstext/90716m0009.htm(iii) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372 (b) To provide the ministerial spend for the other car hire will incur disproportionate costs. Under this Government the number of ministerial cars in the Department has fallen from four to one and the cost to the taxpayer reduced by 91%.

Hunting Act 2004

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) charges, (b) prosecutions, (c) fines and (d) cautions there have been for breaches of the Hunting Act 2004 in each police force area in England and Wales since 2010.

Mike Penning: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences under the Hunting Act 2004, in England and Wales from 2010 to 2013 can be viewed in Table 1. The number of offenders cautioned for offences under the Hunting Act 2004, in England and Wales from 2010 to 2013 can be viewed in Table 2. Centrally held information cannot separately analyse the number of charges for offences under the Hunting Act 2004.



Offences under the Hunting Act 2004
(Excel SpreadSheet, 46.5 KB)

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were transferred from open conditions to closed conditions who had previously (a) absconded or escaped from prison and (b) breached a licence condition whilst released on temporary licence following the recent review of release on temporary licence.

Andrew Selous: In March, we announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected with respect to the offenders being held in open conditions. Absconds and escapes have reached record lows under this Government, and we take each incident seriously. As a result of a comprehensive review, we have made major changes to tighten the eligibility criteria for open prisons. Prisoners may no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded, escaped, attempted to escape, or if they have failed to return or have re-offended whilst released on temporary licence, unless there are exceptional circumstances. A total of 115 cases were assessed centrally by a panel comprised of NOMS senior managers, including representation from both prisons and probation. Cases were reviewed where there was a history, on the current sentence, of abscond; escape or attempted escape; or an offence committed whilst on temporary release. 9 of these prisoners were returned to closed conditions as a result. Local risk reviews were directed on a further 14 offenders, with 2 returned to closed conditions following review. As part of business as usual, open prisons return prisoners to closed conditions where they judge that they can no longer be managed safely in open conditions. Figures for this ongoing process are not included here.

Sexual Offences: Young People

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under 16 have been convicted of a sexual offence in each police authority in the most recent year available.

Mike Penning: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice Serious sexual offending by under 16s is unacceptable. As part of the consideration of each young person’s case, the court will look at their background, their reasons for offending, the welfare of the child and any relevant history including time spent in care. It may not always be in the young persons’ interest to severely criminalise low level first time sexual offending, but rather to address the offending behaviour which reduces the risk of reoffending. This is why all youth sentences have a strong rehabilitative element in recognition of a child and young persons’ age and maturity.  The number of offenders aged under 16 found guilty at all courts of sexual offences, in England and Wales, by police force area, in 2013 (latest available) can be viewed in the table below.Offenders under 16 found guilty at all courts of sexual offences, England and Wales, 2013 (1)(2)  Metropolitan Police31Cumbria2Lancashire9Merseyside6Greater Manchester14Cheshire7Northumbria6Durham2West Yorkshire9South Yorkshire1Humberside4Cleveland2West Midlands13Staffordshire2West Mercia6Warwickshire1Derbyshire4Nottinghamshire4Lincolnshire2Leicestershire1Northamptonshire4Cambridgeshire2Norfolk4Suffolk3Bedfordshire1Hertfordshire4Essex1Thames Valley4Hampshire5Kent2Devon and Cornwall1Avon and Somerset2Gloucestershire2Dorset1North Wales9Gwent3South Wales12Dyfed-Powys3  (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQ 215366

Take-away Food

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on take-away food for staff since May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice records spend on catering but not at the level of detail which allows spend on take-away food to be isolated if this had occurred. Under the Department’s Gifts and Hospitality Policy, any requests for spend of this nature would need to be supported by a business case which would need to be cleared by the Director General Finance.Since 2010, spend on hospitality has fallen significantly. Reasons for this include measures taken to ban lunches, teas and coffees for internal meetings. Any such refreshments for meetings with external stakeholders are only provided in exceptional circumstances and require sign of from a Director General. The department has also put in place a block on Government Procurement Cards preventing payments to bars and restaurants.

Catering

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on catering and hospitality since May 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 February 2015.The correct answer should have been:

In answering this question I have included core MoJ and its larger Executive Agencies (NOMS, HMCTS, LAA) in the figures in the table below. The smaller Executive Agencies (Office of the Public Guardian, Criminal Injuries Compensations Authority) have not been included. The figures show a drop of spending of £426,844.38 (92.98%) between 2008/09 and the 2013/14 figure, the last full year figure included. Since 2010, spend on hospitality has fallen significantly. Reasons for this include measures taken to ban lunches, teas and coffees for internal meetings. Any such refreshments for meetings with external stakeholders are only provided in exceptional circumstances and require sign off from a Director General. No alcohol is provided for staff from departmental funds and when hospitality is provided to external parties, such as a modest amount of wine with a meal, this requires Director General level approval. The department has also put in place a block on Government Procurement Cards, preventing payments to bars and restaurants. MoJ core and Agency spend on Hospitality and related catering since April 2008:   MoJ HQNac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224226-Entertainment3,773.760.00585.29327.90326.4060.00252.52 224227-Hospitality18,572.7718,755.646,584.203,095.972,893.311,312.56745.45 224228-External Lunches & Dinners4,262.153,909.39883.270.000.000.000.00 224229-Refreshments for Interdepartmental Meetings96,946.3328,699.713,096.00247.680.002,027.22-1,824.58 Annual Total123,555.0151,364.7411,148.763,671.553,219.713,399.78-826.61 HMCTSNac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224226-Entertainment1,787.92740.61256.01253.5458.580.0060.25 224227-Hospitality53,202.18-1,005.415,452.0810,620.326,952.397,659.082,797.57 224228-External Lunches & Dinners332.1590.00-42.55156.002,544.000.000.00 224229-Refreshments for Interdepartmental Meetings42,138.1333,973.8928,070.483,660.042,597.02312.96120.00 Annual Total97,460.3833,799.0933,736.0214,689.9012,151.997,972.042,977.82 LAANac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224227-Hospitality  0.000.000.001,258.190.00 Annual Total  0.000.000.001,258.190.00 NOMS:Nac Level 6 (Phoenix)FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 1720 - Entertainment & Hospitality238,039.00215,230.0076,947.0059,420.0035,800.0019,580.0010,114.00 Annual Total238,039.00215,230.0076,947.0059,420.0035,800.0019,580.0010,114.00 MoJ Total  459,054.39300,393.83121,831.7877,781.4551,171.7032,210.0112,265.21

Mr Shailesh Vara: In answering this question I have included core MoJ and its larger Executive Agencies (NOMS, HMCTS, LAA) in the figures in the table below. The smaller Executive Agencies (Office of the Public Guardian, Criminal Injuries Compensations Authority) have not been included. The figures show a drop of spending of £426,844.38 (92.98%) between 2008/09 and the 2013/14 figure, the last full year figure included. Since 2010, spend on hospitality has fallen significantly. Reasons for this include measures taken to ban lunches, teas and coffees for internal meetings. Any such refreshments for meetings with external stakeholders are only provided in exceptional circumstances and require sign off from a Director General. No alcohol is provided for staff from departmental funds and when hospitality is provided to external parties, such as a modest amount of wine with a meal, this requires Director General level approval. The department has also put in place a block on Government Procurement Cards, preventing payments to bars and restaurants. MoJ core and Agency spend on Hospitality and related catering since April 2008:   MoJ HQNac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224226-Entertainment3,773.760.00585.29327.90326.4060.00252.52 224227-Hospitality18,572.7718,755.646,584.203,095.972,893.311,312.56745.45 224228-External Lunches & Dinners4,262.153,909.39883.270.000.000.000.00 224229-Refreshments for Interdepartmental Meetings96,946.3328,699.713,096.00247.680.002,027.22-1,824.58 Annual Total123,555.0151,364.7411,148.763,671.553,219.713,399.78-826.61 HMCTSNac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224226-Entertainment1,787.92740.61256.01253.5458.580.0060.25 224227-Hospitality53,202.18-1,005.415,452.0810,620.326,952.397,659.082,797.57 224228-External Lunches & Dinners332.1590.00-42.55156.002,544.000.000.00 224229-Refreshments for Interdepartmental Meetings42,138.1333,973.8928,070.483,660.042,597.02312.96120.00 Annual Total97,460.3833,799.0933,736.0214,689.9012,151.997,972.042,977.82 LAANac Level 6FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 224227-Hospitality  0.000.000.001,258.190.00 Annual Total  0.000.000.001,258.190.00 NOMS:Nac Level 6 (Phoenix)FY08/09FY09/10FY10/11FY11/12FY12/13FY13/14FY14/15 to end Oct-14 1720 - Entertainment & Hospitality238,039.00215,230.0076,947.0059,420.0035,800.0019,580.0010,114.00 Annual Total238,039.00215,230.0076,947.0059,420.0035,800.0019,580.0010,114.00 MoJ Total  459,054.39300,393.83121,831.7877,781.4551,171.7032,210.0112,265.21

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison staff have been dismissed in each year since 2010; what the reasons were for each dismissal; and how many prison staff have received custodial sentences for crimes committed while working in prisons in each year since 2010.

Andrew Selous: The number of staff dismissed from the public sector prison service in England and Wales, together with the reason for dismissal can be found in the table below. Table: Annual headcount of dismissals from public sector prison service in England & Wales, 2010-2014 Reason20102011201220132014 (Jan to Sep)Medical Inefficiency230280250310280Conduct13012011012060Unsatisfactory Attendance2030202010Poor Performance20101010~Breach of Contract~~~~~ Information on all custodial sentences received for crimes committed by serving members of Prison Service staff is not held centrally.

Prisoners

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) current and (b) certified normal capacity is of the prison estate in each region; what estimate he has made of the prison estate's capacity in 2021; and what the proportion is of the prison population originated in each region.

Andrew Selous: We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and have a range of contingencies in place to manage temporary or unexpected increases in the population.Prison population projections are a useful tool in our strategic management of prison capacity but do not offer a definitive picture of future population levels. Decisions on the number of spaces required in 2021 will depend on population trends and projections over the coming years.The table below identifies the in-use certified normal accommodation and total operational capacity by National Offender Management Service region (and Wales) and the number of male and female prisoners by region of origin on the latest dates available.Region/Country*19 Dec 2014 In Use Certified Normal Accommodation19 Dec 2014 Total Operational Capacity30 Sep 2014-12-09 Population by region of origin***Proportion of the prison population originated in each region by %East Midlands9,02310,4726,7337.86%East of England8,1469,1026,0757.09%Greater London8,91511,24317,61120.60%Kent and Sussex5,7806,2753,7784.41%North East4,8465,5224,0434.72%North West10,83713,05513,52215.80%South Central4,5345,3824,2164.92%South West5,3586,1085,2806.20%Wales2,3293,2794,7295.52%West Midlands8,8409,8128,1119.50%Yorkshire & Humberside8,1509,8669,46311.04%Unknown  2,1372.25%Total76,75890,11685,69899.91   * Contracted and High Security prisons have been allocated to the geographical region in which they are located.** Total operational capacity of a prison is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. Useable Operational Capacity of the estate is the sum of all establishments’ operational capacity less 2,000 places. This is known as the operating margin and reflects the constraints imposed by the need to provide separate accommodation for different classes of prisoner i.e. by sex, age, security category, conviction status, single cell risk assessment and also due to geographical distribution. This margin is applied to the whole estate but is not segmented by prison function or region.*** Region/country of origin is based on prisoners’ recorded residences. Information on prisoners is provided by them on reception in prison and recorded on a central IT system. Reported addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or the address of their next of kin. If no address is given, an offender’s committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which they are resident. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders.Individual prison population and capacity information for every prison in England and Wales is published monthly on the Government website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2014As far as possible, NOMS endeavours to place prisoners as close to their home area as possible. However, a number of factors are considered in the allocation of each prisoner, including; location of prisons, court appearance, security concerns - both for the individual and for others at the establishment, suitability of establishment to prisoners’ needs (such as those set out in their sentence plan), regimes and services offered. It may therefore not be possible or desirable to keep prisoners close to home. For example, some specialist interventions and offending behaviour programmes are not available in every region.Under the Government's Transforming Rehabilitation agenda most prisoners will serve the last 12 weeks of their sentence and be discharged from a Resettlement Prison in their home Contract Package Area where they will receive tailored interventions and support.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for offences related to driving without insurance there were in each year since 2010; and what the average fine imposed for driving without insurance was in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: Driving offences can have very serious and sometimes devastating consequences for victims and their families. That is why the Government is reviewing driving offences and penalties. The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offences relating to using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, with average fine imposed, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2013 (the latest available) can be viewed in the table. Court proceeding data for calendar year 2014 is planned for publication in May 2015.  Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offences relating to using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, with average fine imposed, England & Wales, 2010-2013(1)(2)  Offence Outcome2010201120122013   Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks(3) Proceeded against129,010109,98794,97691,944   Average fine (£)285.58288.50322.41346.29 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   (3) An offence under S.143(2) Road Traffic Act 1988   Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.  Ref: PQ 217244

Driving under Influence

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of drivers were disqualified from driving for drink-driving offences in each year since 2010; how many and what proportion of drivers have been disqualified from driving due to drink-driving offences; and what the average length of a disqualification from driving for drink-driving offences was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2014.

Mike Penning: Driving offences can have very serious and sometimes devastating consequences for victims and their families. That is why the Government is reviewing driving offences and penaltiesThe number of people sentenced for drink driving offences, the number disqualified and the proportion disqualified from driving from 2010 to 2013 can be viewed in the table below.Offenders sentenced for drink-driving offences(1) and number and proportion disqualified from driving, England and Wales, 2010 to 2013(2)(3)   2010201120122013   Sentenced53,35950,37650,22547,894 Disqualified(4)51,14648,35948,14045,415 Proportion disqualified95.9%96.0%95.8%94.8% (1) Includes the following offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988:Driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs - DrinkBeing in charge of mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs - DrinkDriving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limitFailing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary testDriving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle and failing to without a reasonable excuse provide a specimen for a laboratory test or 2 specimens for analysis of breath In charge of a motor vehicle and failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath Failing to allow specimen of blood to be subjected to laboratory test: a) driving or attempting to drive, b) all other cases.  (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.   (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   (4) Includes those disqualified outright and excludes those only disqualified under the penalty points system (under section 35 of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988).   The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information records the period of disqualification into one of thirteen bands. As the exact length of driving ban is not available, it is not possibly to identify the average length of a disqualification from driving. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MOJ. As such, the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Driving under Influence

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) arrests, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions of (i) men and (ii) women in each Local Criminal Justice Board area for the offence of drink driving there have been in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: Driving offences can have very serious and sometimes devastating consequences for victims and their families. That is why the Government is reviewing driving offences and penalties.   The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of offences related to drink driving in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables:-   · Table 1 – males · Table 2 - females   The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The offence of drink driving is not a notifiable offence and does not form part of this collection.Data by police force has been provided as we are not able to group results from the Crown Court by local criminal justice board. Additionally, due to changes in court structure we not able to group courts by local criminal justice board across the whole time-period.   



Male & Female defendants proceeded against 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 61.5 KB)

Judicial Review

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to his contribution of 1 December 2014, Official Report, column 72, on the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, what estimate he has made of the number of applications for judicial review which were granted on minor technicalities since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government has not made an estimate of the number of applications for judicial review which are granted on procedural defects or minor technicalities. Judicial review applications are not recorded in an accessible and reliable electronic form, but rather in paper case files which would need to be manually searched and as such there is no central figure. However, those involved in judicial reviews, including government departments, local authorities and businesses, are fully aware of the ways in which the judicial review process can be misused.One of the reforms we are taking forward in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill (clause 84 of the print of the Bill currently awaiting Royal Assent) is to improve the way the courts deal with judicial reviews based on procedural defects. This is an important part of the Government’s programme to tackle public burdens, promote growth and stimulate economic recovery.

Counter-terrorism

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2014 to Question 216156, what body independently assesses the NOMS extremism programme; and if he will publish the most recent assessment of that programme.

Andrew Selous: We have a comprehensive range of measures to tackle extremism in prisons. All high security prisons have dedicated counter terrorism units who work in partnership with the Police and the security services to root out extremism. The regular statistics reports and briefings NOMS provides to various partners on its performance, caseload and range of interventions constitute independent assessment. These reports with the exception of NOMS’ contribution to Home Office statistics (Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: arrests, outcomes and stops and searches, quarterly update), are classified for reasons of National Security. I am regularly briefed on NOMS’ work on extremism.

Convictions

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) number of convictions, (b) conviction rate as a percentage of prosecutions brought and (c) rate of convictions as a percentage of crimes reported was for (i) murder, (ii) grievous bodily harm, (iii) sexual offences, (iv) burglary, (v) robbery, (vi) theft, (vii) criminal damage, (viii) public order offences, (ix) drug offences, (x) driving offences and (xi) all offences in (A) Elmbridge, (B) Surrey, (C) the South East of England and (D) England in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: Crime is falling and is at its lowest level since records began in 1981, as per the Crime Survey in England and Wales. Since 2010 those who do offend are more likely to go to prison and for longer than ever before. For the first time in ten years, an immediate prison sentence is the most common disposal for indictable offences. This follows a series of measures by the Government to toughen up sentencing and make sure those who commit these crimes face a significant term in prison, including an automatic life sentence for a second serious sexual or violent offence. There are also several measures to strengthen sentencing in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which has completed its passage through Parliament and awaits Royal Assent. These include ensuring that all dangerous offenders who receive the tough Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS) are no longer automatically released two-thirds of the way through their custodial term. The Government has also banned the use of simple cautions for serious offences.  We are also determined that our justice system delivers the right outcomes for victims of crime and the public as a whole, and we have made great strides in recent years – not least through smarter use of technology, and joined-up working.The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty, along with conviction ratio at all courts of the offences specified in the question from 2009 to 2013 can be viewed in the tables as detailed below:-Figures for Surrey can be viewed in Table 1Figures for the South East of England can be viewed in Table 2Figures for England as a whole can be viewed in Table 3There are no courts in the Borough of Elmbridge; hence the figure for that portion of the question is zero. The Ministry of Justice court proceedings database cannot specifically identify the exact location of offences. These figures are based on the location of the court hearing the case.Conviction ratio is provided in place of conviction rate as a case can be commenced in one year and concluded in a subsequent year.A defendant may be convicted in a different year to that in which they were proceeded against. Variation in the conviction ratio can be caused either by a change in the percentage of cases that end in conviction or by a change in the percentage of cases that end in a conviction in the same year as the original proceeding. Therefore fluctuations in data, particularly in the last year for which figures are available can be misleading. Rates of convictions as a percentage of reported crime cannot be provided. The Home Office collects data on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police. Of these, some crimes may be subsequently ‘no crimed’ (for example if it is believed a crime did not actually take place or was incorrectly recorded as a crime).Therefore, conviction rates as a percentage of recorded crime could therefore present a misleading picture.Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in Spring 2015.



Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts
(Excel SpreadSheet, 44 KB)

Just Solutions International

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries Just Solutions International (JSI) has worked with since it was established; what contracts it has with foreign companies; what visits Ministers in his Department have made relating to JSI; and what payments JSI has received from foreign contracts.

Andrew Selous: Just Solutions International (JSi) is a brand within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Over the last two years, NOMS has worked with the following countries, some of them under the JSi brand. As the NOMS commercial work through the JSi brand is not separated out from non-commercial international work, the list below simply indicates where a charge to the country or the EU was applied (*). This does not include visits by other Governments to the UK for purposes of information exchange: PakistanLibyaOman (*)Seychelles (*)NigeriaMacedoniaBermuda (*)Cayman Islands (*)China (*)Kosovo (*) Turkey (*) NOMS does not have any contracts with foreign companies related to commercial work routed through the JSi brand and has not previously entered into any nor received payments relating to such contracts. No Ministerial visits abroad have been arranged to support NOMS’ commercial work. Specifics of payments for commercial contracts delivered cannot be provided as they are commercially sensitive. Part of the rationale for our work with other countries is to impact positively on human rights practices. We believe that by bringing our standards on issues such as human rights into international delivery we will improve detention practices. Our correctional services provide a gold standard in human rights, and are well viewed by other Governments who take a similar view to us on the paramount importance of the protection and promotion of human rights. When other countries approach us for assistance, we are clear that we will only offer advice and support that complies with our own stringent human rights standards. It has been government policy for many years to work with overseas governments and help them develop their criminal justice systems.

Prison Accommodation: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the future demand for prison places in the West Midlands; and what assessment he has made of the capacity of West Midlands prisons to meet that future demand.

Andrew Selous: Decisions on the future demand for prison places in the West Midlands will depend on population trends and projections over the coming years. This Government will always ensure that we have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts, including those in the West Midlands. We continue to modernise the prison estate so that it delivers best value for the taxpayer. We have a long term strategy for managing the prison estate which will provide around 3000 more adult male prison places than we inherited from the previous Government. We also have a range of contingencies available to manage temporary or unexpected increases in the population. In addition, we will have delivered around 500 more places across the prison estate by April 2015 through small scale investments. This includes 10 places at HMP Hewell and 12 places at HMP Stoke Heath in the West Midlands.

Magistrates Courts: Lewes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he took of the fact that Killarney-Comércio Internacional, Lda is registered as an offshore company before deciding to proceed with the sale to them of the building until recently used as the Lewes Magistrates' Court; what due diligence was carried out into this company and its relationship with (a) Quora and (b) Whitbread Plc prior to the sale; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice was aware of the relationship between Quora and Killarney-Comércio Internacional, Lda during commercial negotiations and before exchange of contracts. The application for planning permission was submitted under both names. The disposal, including due diligence, is carried out in accordance with central guidance on the disposal of surplus property assets and we will ensure we get the best value for the taxpayer. We remain in commercial negotiations as the sale has not yet been completed. Whitbread PLC is not a party to the contract.

Prisons: Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs in prisons.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) takes the issue of all contraband in prisons extremely seriously and deploys a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. We do not tolerate drugs in prison and anyone caught with them will be punished and could face further prosecution. NOMS has in place a comprehensive drugs strategy. The success of this strategy is illustrated by the reduction of drug misuse - as measured by the random mandatory drug testing programme - which has declined by 17.0 percentage points over the past fifteen years (positive rates were 24.4% in 1996/7 and 7.4% in 2013/14) despite the fact that more drugs are being tested for. Random MDT provides a reliable and statistically valid way of measuring patterns and trends of drug misuse in prisons at national and regional level. There is growing evidence that there has been an increase in the use and seizure of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) into prisons. We have already announced a series of measures to crack down on this and will ensure Governors have the powers and support they need to tackle it. New, additional powers in the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill will give powers to specify non-controlled drugs (including New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and prescription drugs) which can be tested for as part of the Mandatory Drug Testing Programme. NOMS has also very recently circulated new guidance to prison governors, which sets out clearly for the first time the measures available to them to deal with NPS. This will reinforce the prison estate’s zero tolerance approach to contraband.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are applied to children and young people applying to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is acutely aware of the importance of ensuring that vulnerable people such as children and young people have access to justice. The Lord Chancellor’s Guidance on Exceptional Funding sets out some of the points that caseworkers at the Legal Aid Agency should take into account when deciding any application for civil legal aid exceptional funding, including those from children and young people. These factors include the importance of the issues at stake, the complexity of the procedures and the capability of the applicant to present their case effectively. The age of the child or young person applicant is one factor which caseworkers will always consider and the Guidance sets out specific questions which may be relevant in the case of a child applicant.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will passport all (a) children and (b) young people aged from 18 to 24 through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Parliament agreed an exceptional case funding scheme to provide an avenue for providing legal aid to those cases that would normally be out of scope, in order to ensure we meet our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and European Union law. The civil legal aid exceptional funding scheme does not provide a general power to fund cases or individuals that fall outside the scope of legal aid – that is not its purpose. We therefore have no current plans to passport all children and/or young people aged from 18 to 24 through the scheme.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the religious belief was of each person convicted of terrorist-related offences in each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous: The information provided below relates to the last declared religion of prisoners convicted of a Terrorism Act offence or of an offence that was terrorism-related where the motivation stemmed from an extreme ideology. The table also includes those deported or extradited. The information covers prisoners held in custody between 8 October 2012 and 30 January 2015. Information prior to 8 October 2012 is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. RELIGIONNumberAgnostic0Atheist1Buddhist3Christian9Church in Wales1Church of England16Muslim104No Religion33Orthodox1Pagan4Protestant0Roman Catholic5Russian Orthodox0Sikh1Grand Total178

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what terrorist-related offences were committed by which prisoners released from prison in 2013 and 2014; what the length of each sentence given to each such prisoner was; and how long was served in each such case.

Andrew Selous: The information provided below relates to prisoners convicted of or on remand for a Terrorism Act offence, or of an offence that was terrorism-related where the motivation stemmed from an extreme ideology. Of the 120 prisoners in this category released from prison custody for various reasons in 2013 and 2014, the offences ranged from removal of a tag through to murder. The sentences served by these prisoners ranged from 1 month through to life imprisonment. In all cases the prisoner served the appropriate length of time set out in the sentencing legislation which applied at the time of sentencing. In the case of the life sentence prisoners release would have been approved by the Parole Board. The Parole Board will not release an offender unless they are convinced that the offender’s risk can be safely managed in the community. Reasons for release include those who had reached the end of sentence, those deported or extradited, and those bailed or discharged.

Crime: Drugs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the largest amounts were of each class of drug charged as a drugs possession only offence in the last year for which information is available.

Mike Penning: Under this Government crime is falling and criminals are more likely to go to prison and for longer. Drug offending is serious in itself, and drug dealers can expect substantial prison sentences, but drug abuse also underlies a huge volume of acquisitive and violent crime which can blight communities. The independent Sentencing Council issued a sentencing guideline on drug offences, effective from February 2012, which brought sentencing guidance together for the first time to help to ensure consistent and proportionate sentencing for all drug offences that come before courts.The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Justice. The Crown Prosecution Service hold information on charging but do not centrally record the amount of drugs seized as part of a prosecution and so is unable to provide an answer due to disproportionate cost.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners convicted of what terrorist-related offences have been released on temporary licence since 14 November 2014.

Andrew Selous: Release on temporary licence (ROTL) is not an entitlement and each prisoner is rigorously risk assessed before they are allowed to be released on ROTL. Those convicted of terrorism-related offences are subject to the tougher Restricted ROTL process, introduced by this Government in 2014.Two prisoners convicted of terrorist related offences have been granted temporary release between 14 November and 30 January. These two prisoners were not however serving a sentence for Terrorism Act offences.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications from people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 to 24 to the Exceptional Case Funding scheme have been successful.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 February 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Table 1: Number of successful applications to the ECF funding scheme, October 2013 to September 2014.   Under 1818-24Total Grants933912 Note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding was collected from October 2013 onwards. The latest available published data is to September 2014. The number of successful applications in this instance also corresponds to the number of applicants, i.e. unique individuals granted legal aid. These numbers assume that the date of birth recorded corresponds to the age of the applicant benefiting from the legal aid. In inquest cases this should be the date of birth of the applicant, not the deceased.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Table 1: Number of successful applications to the ECF funding scheme, October 2013 to September 2014.   Under 1818-24Total Grants933912 Note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding was collected from October 2013 onwards. The latest available published data is to September 2014. The number of successful applications in this instance also corresponds to the number of applicants, i.e. unique individuals granted legal aid. These numbers assume that the date of birth recorded corresponds to the age of the applicant benefiting from the legal aid. In inquest cases this should be the date of birth of the applicant, not the deceased.

Courts: Translation Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce translation and interpretation costs in the courts.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Department provides interpreters in compliance with its international obligations to ensure that trials are fair.Following a competitive process, the Department entered into a contract for language services which went live on 30th January 2012. The contract was introduced to tackle the inefficiencies and inconsistencies in the previous system. The contract has delivered significant improvements so far and we now have a system that is robust, sustainable and able to deliver a quality service at an affordable level. As a result of the contract, we spent £27m less in the first two years it was running.The contract remains on target to achieve the forecasted savings over its whole life term.We will of course continue work to further drive improvements in performance and to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

Tribunals Service

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of whether the number of judges recruited in each year is sufficient to meet the needs of the Tribunal Service.

Mr Shailesh Vara: In April 2014 there were 6,084 people eligible to sit on Tribunal Panels. These comprise Judges and Members, of which 2,053 are Judges. The data is drawn from the Judicial Office’s database and is based upon an individual’s primary appointment, which is where they sit for the majority of their time. Judges and Members can also hold more than one post across Tribunal chambers. In addition the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, provides the Senior President of Tribunals the power to assign Judges between Tribunal chambers. This gives him the ability to meet pressures from fluctuating workload and allows the Tribunals to deal with work with greater flexibility. Where a shortfall in requirements is identified, which cannot be met within existing resource levels, external judicial recruitment will be requested. Judicial recruitment is the responsibility of the Judicial Appointments Commission and details of current and planned recruitment is published on their website which can be found at https://jac.judiciary.gov.uk/ Current judicial resource levels are considered to be sufficient to deal with workload volumes across HMCTS.

HM Inspectorate of Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who was involved in the (a) shortlisting and (b) final appointment of Mr Paul McDowell as Chief Inspector of Probation.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cost was of the most recent recruitment process for the Chief Inspector of Probation that led to the appointment of Mr Paul McDowell.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on external agencies involved in the appointment process of Mr Paul McDowell as Chief Inspector of Probation.

Andrew Selous: The recruitment of Mr Paul McDowell as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation (HMCIP) was fully compliant with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice. Shortlisting was undertaken by a panel comprising:- A panel chair nominated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments;- A Ministry of Justice Director; and- Two independent members. The shortlist was approved by the Secretary of State for Justice as the appointing Minister under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. The interviews were conducted by the same Panel, with the outcomes communicated to the Secretary of State for Justice as the appointing Minister. The Secretary of State for Justice referred to preferred candidate to the Justice Select Committee for a pre-appointment hearing. On consideration of the Select Committee’s report the Secretary of State for Justice confirmed the appointment and by convention, the Queen was informed. The total cost of the appointment process for Paul McDowell as HMCIP, including the cost of external agency use, was £30,903.90 (inclusive of VAT). The Government recognises the need to attract a strong and diverse range of candidates for all public appointments. For this reason, recruitment consultants may be used to assist with competitions for particularly significant roles, such as Chief Inspector of Probation, to ensure that this need is met and where advertising alone may not suffice.

Courts: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which holy books are available for defendants to swear on at each magistrates' court and Crown Court in Lancashire.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The following holy books are available for defendants to swear on at each Magistrates’ and Crown Court in Lancashire:  New TestamentOld Testament/TorahKoranSudar GutkaGitaPreston Crown Court YYYYYBurnley Crown Court YYYYYLancaster Crown Court YYYYYBlackburn Magistrates’ Court YYYYYAccrington Magistrates’ CourtYYYYYBurnley Magistrates’ Court YYYYYReedley Magistrates’ Court YYYYYPreston Magistrates’ Court YYYYYChorley Magistrates’ Court YYYYYOrmskirk Magistrates’ Court YYYYYBlackpool Magistrates’ Court YYYYYLancaster Magistrates’ Court YYYYY(Y = Yes)

Courts: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many redundancies there have been at each Crown Court and magistrates' court in Lancashire since January 2014; and how many such redundancies are planned.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I can confirm that there have been no compulsory redundancies at Crown or Magistrates' Courts in the Lancashire region since January 2014 nor are any redundancies planned. There have also been no voluntary early departures within the same time frame.

Legal Aid Scheme: Children

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is conducting a review of children's access to legal aid.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The MoJ is not currently conducting a specific review of children’s access to legal aid.As the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties set out on 5 February, in his answer to the honourable member’s previous question on this matter, the Government continues at all times to review the operation of the legal aid system. Ministers have considered, and will continue to consider, all representations and evidence about the impact of LASPO on young people.The Government plans to undertake a post-implementation review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 within 3-5 years of implementation.

Ministry of Defence

Falkland Islands

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when a Defence Minister last visited the Falkland Islands.

Mr Mark Francois: Holding answer received on 10 February 2015



In June 2007, the then Minister for the Armed Forces, Adam Ingram, visited the Falkland Islands.In November 2011, Philip Dunne MP and I visited the Falkland Islands, during which time we visited the military base at Mount Pleasant. Whilst not in Ministry of Defence Ministerial positions at the time, we both subsequently joined the Department the following year.

Vetting

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of applications for (a) security clearance and counter-terrorist checks and (b) developed vetting have not met the performance targets set for DBS for the processing of such applications in each of the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has allocated to the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Mr Julian Brazier: Holding answer received on 05 February 2015



No part of the Conflict Stability and Security Fund, which will come into existence in financial year 2015-16, will be directly funded from the Ministry of Defence budget.

RAF Waddington

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what initial costs his Department incurred as a result of establishing the Air Battlespace Training Centre at RAF Waddington, other than the £33 million contract with QinetiQ to provide synthetic training.

Mr Mark Francois: The information is not held centrally and a full answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.However, an initial contract with Inzpire Ltd of £7.5 million was let, to cover years 2008-2015. This contract included 'White Force' support, incorporating personnel who designed, developed and delivered training.

RAF Waddington

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual per unit cost is of training members of each of the armed forces at the Air Battlespace Training Centre at RAF Waddington.

Mr Mark Francois: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual per unit cost is of training members of each of the Armed Forces.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Training

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spends on training members of each of the Armed Forces each year.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Qatar

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sorties the RC-135W ZZ664 flew from Al Udeid Air Base when it was stationed there; and what plans there are for another RC-135W aircraft to be stationed at that base.

Mr Mark Francois: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces

Air Force: Deployment

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel are taking part in the Seedcorn programme; what the location is of each such person; and with what equipment such personnel are training.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Army Reserve

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers were recruited to the Army Reserve between 2011 and 2015.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Armed Forces

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces are on standby to provide support to the NHS in winter 2015.

Mr Mark Francois: The Armed Forces currently have no personnel specifically on standby to provide support to the NHS.

Navy

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which it is implementing Priority 5 of the UK's National Strategy for Maritime Security; and whether it has identified any areas in respect of that priority requiring action or improvement.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken to process new claims for jobseeker's allowance was in 2014.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



 There was an increase in the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance claims being cleared within 10 days by 18.9 percentage points, from 71.3 per cent in March 2013 to 90.2 per cent in March 2014. This is an increase in performance by 22.6 percentage points when compared with year ending April 2009 – March 2010 when it was 67.6%

Attendance Allowance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what efficiency audit his Department's National Partnership Team has undertaken of the effectiveness of measures established to ensure the take-up of the attendance allowance.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has not undertaken any efficiency audit on the effectiveness of measures established to ensure take-up of the Attendance Allowance.The Department publicises benefits information which is available from the Department's offices and advice agencies, including local authorities. Leaflets are also available from various locations, including post offices and Doctors' surgeries. Information about all benefits and how these may be claimed is readily available on the GOV.UK website, or through the DWP Information Line.

Social Security Benefits

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what investigation he has carried out of the cancellation of the eligibility for benefits of the family of Tommi Miller from Cambridge after his cancer returned following remission; and what steps he has taken to ensure such cancellations do not take place in similar circumstances in future.

Mr Mark Harper: There was no cancellation of this child’s DLA award. Following the expiry of a fixed term award, a renewal claim was submitted. This was turned down in April 2014 as evidence at the time suggested that the child was in remission. After the child’s condition then deteriorated again in October 2014, a new claim was received by the Department (on 3 February 2014) and this resulted in an award of the highest rate of both DLA components.

Health and Safety Executive

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the standard of service provided by the Health and Safety Executive when engaged in an intervention inspection; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: In the past year I have received two representations regarding the standard of service provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) when engaged in an intervention inspection. In June 2014 HSE started to conduct a monthly survey of a sample of dutyholders which have received an inspection. Between June and November 2014 this survey showed that 84% of respondents said their impression of HSE was favourable, and 14% had a neutral impression of HSE following inspection.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department still plans to publish average waiting times for personal independence payment assessments and decisions in March 2015.

Mr Mark Harper: Initial information was published on 28th January here;https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-new-claims-ad-hoc-statistics and the Department has confirmed its intention to publish further statistics in March here; https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics

Translation Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce translation and interpretation costs in benefit offices.

Esther McVey: From April 2014, DWP has not offered Interpreters as a matter of routine to new Jobseeker Allowance (JSA) claimants. There is an expectation that all new JSA claimants will have a level of English which enables them to compete and be successful in the UK labour market. JSA claimants are encouraged to use friends and family as interpreters if this is appropriate.

Social Security Benefits: British Nationals Abroad

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2015 to Question 222298, how much was paid to overseas recipients of (a) pension credit, (b) winter fuel allowance and (c) the Christmas bonus in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Pension Credit is for people who are present and habitually resident in Great Britain. However, Pension Credit may be payable for periods of temporary absence from Great Britain not exceeding 13 weeks, or for the duration of medical treatment received abroad under the National Health Service. Overseas expenditure for Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Allowance is available and is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/390060/Expenditure_by_region_201314.xlsx Overseas expenditure for Christmas Bonus is shown in the table below. Christmas Bonus Overseas expenditure £m2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Nominal Terms44555Real Terms 2014/15 Prices55555 Source: DWP statistical and accounting data

Access to Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost of the Access to Work scheme was in (a) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency, (b) South Lanarkshire, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each month since July 2010.

Mr Mark Harper: The most up-to-date statistics on individuals helped by Access to Work were published on 20th January 2015, and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics-on-recipients--2#2014 No data is included for Northern Ireland as Access to Work has been devolved to that administration.

Occupational Pensions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of his Department's advertising budget is allocated to the campaign to promote workplace pensions; and how much of that funding has been spent in the last 24 months on (a) television, (b) newspaper advertising, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the slogan, workplace pensions, we're all in.

Esther McVey: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2015 to Question UIN 222582.

Access to Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency, (b) South Lanarkshire, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK received support through the Access to Work scheme in each month since July 2010.

Mr Mark Harper: The most up-to-date statistics on individuals helped by Access to Work were published on 20th January 2015, and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics-on-recipients--2#2014 No data is included for Northern Ireland as Access to Work has been devolved to that administration.

Children: Maintenance

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what systems are in place to ensure that a previous finding of maladministration against the Child Support Agency does not occur again under the same circumstances.

Steve Webb: Where the Child Support Agency (CSA) identifies maladministration it is committed to addressing this through training, education, amending procedures and formal action with the individuals concerned. The CSA is also subject to scrutiny from a variety of external bodies including the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman, DWP Independent Case Examiner and National Audit Office. These bodies will follow up on their initial reports, to confirm that the maladministration has been put right.

Children: Maintenance

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, under what conditions the Child Support Agency is obliged to consider an applicant's lifestyle rather than evidence of earned income and unearned income from relevant assets.

Steve Webb: The Child Support Agency may consider a variation to the maintenance calculation on the ground of “lifestyle inconsistent with declared income” where evidence is provided that indicates a parent has a lifestyle which is inconsistent with the amount of income that has been used in the standard calculation.

Children: Maintenance

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individual decisions made by the Child Support Agency have been overturned by the First and Second Tier Tribunals in the last three years.

Steve Webb: The table below details the number of decisions made by the Child Support Agency (CSA) which have been overturned by the First Tier Tribunal in the last three years and the latest position for 2014/2015: 2011/20122,7512012/20132,6102013/20142,2412014/2015823  Information on CSA decisions overturned by the Upper Tribunal is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with referene to his contribution of 26 January 2015, Official Report, column 546, on the innovation fund for young people, what the evidential basis is for the statement that 7.1 per cent of all young people are unemployed and not in full-time education.

Esther McVey: The statement reflects information published by the Office for National Statistics in table 14 of its UK Labour Market, January 2015 Statistical Bulletin. This shows that in September to November 2014, 520,000 young people aged 16-24 were not in full-time education and unemployed. This is 7.1% of the overall youth population of 7.3 million.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance are made aware of the flexible arrangements available to them to enable them to search for work and meet their caring responsibilities.

Esther McVey: In discussing and agreeing the content of a JSA Claimant Commitment, Jobcentre Plus work coaches will make lone parents aware of the flexible arrangements available to them to enable them to search for work and meet their caring responsibilities. In addition, there is guidance available on gov.uk which explains the flexibilities available for JSA lone parents.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the flexible arrangements available to lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance to enable them to search for work and meet their caring responsibilities are being applied appropriately.

Esther McVey: Local Jobcentre Plus managers are responsible for making sure work coaches provide claimants with the support they need and for ensuring the flexibilities for those with caring responsibilities are deployed appropriately. This process is underpinned by work coach learning and development, procedural guidance and a Quality Assurance Framework that is used to help managers observe and provide feedback on interviews with claimants.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many peopled claimed jobseeker's allowance Domestic Violence Easement in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Esther McVey: The Jobseeker’s Allowance Domestic Violence Easement began in April 2012. The table below provides details of easements granted for the three years since its introduction. The increasing number of individuals claiming the easement is likely to be related to the awareness raising work carried out with operational staff and stakeholders.   YEARClaims for JSA DV easement2012277201381420142087Total3178

Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to publicise the jobseeker's allowance Domestic Violence Easement.

Esther McVey: Since the Domestic Violence easement was introduced we have worked with stakeholders and DWP staff to raise awareness of it. Information on the Domestic Violence easement is available on Gov.uk and we have worked with stakeholders to ensure that they are aware and understand how the easement works. We also issued a poster to stakeholders which explains the easement and can be printed and distributed to anyone who wishes to know more about it.

New Enterprise Allowance

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total advertising budget is for the campaign to promote the New Enterprise Allowance; and how much has been spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other advertising referring to that allowance in the last 24 months.

Esther McVey: In the last 24 months, the Department spent £25,150 (excluding VAT) on marketing activities to support the New Enterprise Allowance. (a) Television – nil(b) Newspaper – nil(c) Online - £2,450(d) Radio – nil(e) Other – £22,700 (for posters, flyers and videos)

Pensions

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total advertising budget is for the Your Future Your Pension campaign; and how much has been spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other advertising including the phrase Your Future Your Pension in the last 24 months.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses a variety of free and paid for channels to effectively communicate important reforms and how people are affected. The channels used are considered the most effective route to reach key audiences, whilst offering value for money. All advertising spend is scrutinised and agreed through the Cabinet Office. DWP launched an information campaign to help people understand what the State Pension changes mean for them. The multi-channel advertising campaign ‘Your Future, Your Pension’ is part of the Government’s drive to explain the State Pension reforms to both current and future pensioners. The advertising directs people to the information they need on GOV.UK and encourages relevant groups to request a statement through the Statement Service. No money was spent on promoting the phrase ‘Your Future, Your Pension’. The money spent on the marketing campaign that includes the phrase ‘your State Pension, your future’ is as follows:Direct Mail – £6,177Magazine advertorials – £61,982 There is no specific budget for the use of either phrase within the campaign.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of housing benefit are 18 to 21 years old; and how much his Department spent in each of the last three years on housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds.

Steve Webb: At August 2014, the latest period for which data is available, there were 115,935 Housing Benefit claimants aged 18 to 21. Expenditure information is in the table below. Housing Benefit expenditure for 18 to 21 year olds, £millions Nominal termsReal terms, 2014/15 prices2011/127768182012/137507782013/14685698 Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract and Local Authority subsidy returns. Notes:1. Benefit expenditure is available for financial years only.2. Figures at 2014/15 prices are deflated using GDP deflators published following the 2014 Autumn Statement at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/383988/GDP_Deflators_Autumn_Statement_December_2014_update.xls3. Information on the number of Housing Benefit claimants is published on Stat-Xplore at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 18 to 24 years are subject to sanctions for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance in each local authority ward in Preston.

Esther McVey: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total advertising budget is for the campaign to urge benefits claimants to report changes in their circumstances; and how much has been spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other advertising using the phrases call us to update your claim before we call you and benefits are you doing the right thing, in the last 24 months.

Esther McVey: Benefit fraud is a crime. Publicity is a vital tool to remind people they must routinely inform the Department if their circumstances change. In the last year the government recovered more than £1.3 billion in fraudulent payments. Communications plays a vital part in supporting operational activity in achieving this. Expenditure on publicity/ advertising to prevent benefit fraudYearTotal amount2013/14£51,5032014/15£555,920

Social Security Benefits

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are affected by the benefit cap are in receipt of (a) bereavement allowance, (b) carer's allowance, (c) child benefit, (d) child tax credit, (e) employment and support allowance, except where the support component has been awarded, (f) guardian's allowance, (g) housing benefit, (h) incapacity benefit, (i) income support, (j) jobseeker's allowance, (k) maternity allowance, (l) severe disablement allowance, (m) widowed parent's allowance and (n) widow's benefit.

Esther McVey: Full benefit cap statistics for November 2014 can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-november-2014 These statistics do not contain benefit type information. However, all capped households included in the official statistics are in receipt of Housing Benefit. At November 2014 (the latest available data) 24,252 households are subject to the cap, and therefore are in receipt of Housing Benefit. At November 2014 22,866 capped households had 1 or more child dependants so we could infer that all of these capped households with child dependant(s) are in receipt of child benefit. A suite of evaluation was published on 15 December 2014. This evaluation made estimates of the proportion of capped households in scope for the cap who were in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support (IS), Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or other benefit types over time.Further information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-evaluationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-cap-review-of-the-first-year

Social Security Benefits

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people who are in receipt of benefits totalling between (a) £23,000 and £24,000, (b) £24,000 and £25,000 and (c) £25,000 and £26,000 a year.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Heathrow Airport

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the feasibility of options to ensure the Border Inspection Post at Heathrow Airport remains open.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the closure of the Border Inspection Post at Heathrow Airport on the bio-pharmaceutical industry.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Norbert Dentressangle on the closure of the Border Inspection Post at Heathrow Airport.

George Eustice: Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) that handle imported product of animal origin at UK ports and airports are provided by commercial operators. The BIP at Heathrow Airport is comprised of three separately managed inspection centres including one that handles imports of live animals. Norbert Dentressangle operates one of two inspection centres that are approved to handle different types of product of animal origin.   Defra has received representations from and on behalf of businesses that currently rely on the inspection centre currently operated by Norbert Dentressangle. Officials have responded informally to understand better these concerns.   I understand that the operator of the second animal product inspection centre at Heathrow has expressed an interest in providing alternative inspection facilities. Their facility will require some structural and other changes and these will need to be checked by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Any fundamental change to the existing facility will also need to be approved by the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission. This could require an inspection of any new facilities.   I also understand that the parties involved are also exploring contingency measures that could operate whilst any planning and building work is carried out. The aim is to ensure that there is a continuous Border Inspection capability for all types of product of animal origin at Heathrow.   I appreciate the importance that the bio-pharmaceutical industry and other importers attach to the maintenance of inspection facilities for animal product at Heathrow Airport. I welcome the discussions that are currently taking place between various interested parties. Defra will continue to follow developments closely and officials will provide any advice needed to assist the possible development the other animal product inspection centre at Heathrow Airport.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the value is of flood investments that have been deferred from 2015-2021 to 2021-22 for the (a) Anglia Central, (b) Anglia Eastern, (c) Anglia Northern, (d) North West, (e) Northumbria, (f) Severn and Wye, (g) South West, (h) Southern, (i) Thames, (j) Trent, (k) Wessex and (l) Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Dan Rogerson: The following table shows the amount of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Grant in Aid that has been deferred from 2015-2021 to 2021-22 for each of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees.   RFCC£mAnglian Central0.1Anglian Eastern1.8Anglian Northern8.5Eng Severn & Wye0.9North West0.0Northumbria6.4South West3.6Southern20.8Thames18.3Trent1.6Wessex0.0Yorkshire7.5   These figures are based on the programme published alongside the Autumn Statement in December 2014. A further update on this profile is due shortly.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her estimate is of additional financial contributions that will be required by the (a) Anglia Central, (b) Anglia Eastern, (c) Anglia Northern, (d) North West, (e) Northumbria, (f) Severn and Wye, (g) South West, (h) Southern, (i) Thames, (j) Trent, (k) Wessex and (l) Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee for flood investments between 2015 and 2021.

Dan Rogerson: The following table shows the estimation of the amount of additional financial contributions that will be required by each of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committees for flood investments between 2015 and 2021.   RFCCFrom Local Levy (£m)From Other sources (£m)Anglian Central4.412.0Anglian Eastern4.567.7Anglian Northern6.542.4Eng Severn & Wye4.71.9North West0.820.3Northumbria10.440.4South West4.747.9Southern1.470.2Thames69.4155.4Trent6.457.8Wessex15.215.9Yorkshire7.284.3 These figures are based on the programme published alongside the Autumn Statement in December 2014. A further update on this profile is due shortly.

Flood Control

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the amount is of grant in aid (a) requested and (b) received by the (i) Anglia Central, (ii) Anglia Eastern, (iii) Anglia Northern, (iv) North West, (v) Northumbria, (vi) Severn and Wye, (vii) South West, (viii) Southern, (ix) Thames, (x) Trent, (xi) Wessex and (xii) Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committees for the period 2015 to 2021.

Dan Rogerson: The table below shows the amount of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Grant in Aid requested and received between 2015 to 2021 by each Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.   RFCCRequested (£m)Received (£m)Anglian Central58.947.3Anglian Eastern232.9192.7Anglian Northern161.4146.1Eng Severn & Wye24.412.1North West260.4157.7Northumbria69.145.6South West107.185.7Southern454.6333.1Thames324.0297.5Trent183.6161.5Wessex63.951.1Yorkshire380.7265.8   These figures are based on the programme published alongside the Autumn Statement in December 2014. A further update on this profile is due shortly.

Floods: Agriculture

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the publication Impact of 2014 Winter Floods on Agriculture in England, published on 4 June 2014, if her Department will estimate the (a) market value, (b) non-market value and (c) social value of the cost of those floods.

Dan Rogerson: The report ‘The Economic Impact of the 2014 Winter Floods on Agriculture in England’, commissioned by Defra, estimated the economic cost of flooding on agriculture in England to be between £13.3 million and £28.5 million. A copy of the full report is available on the GOV.UK webpages. The report sets out the direct economic costs to the sector of the floods, but does not assess either non-market or social impacts.

Home Office

Communications Data and Interception Powers Review

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timescale and process will be for public discussion of the Communications Data and Interception review conducted by David Anderson QC; and what opportunities will arise for parliamentary scrutiny of those conclusions.

James Brokenshire: Section 7 of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 provides that David Anderson QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, must, so far as reasonably practicable, complete his review of investigatory powers before 1 May 2015. The Government has been clear that David Anderson’s findings will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Human Trafficking: Medway

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle human trafficking in the Medway towns.

Karen Bradley: We do not collect information about specific activity in specific towns. However this Government is determined to stamp out modern slavery, including human trafficking, in all its forms and wherever it occurs. The landmark Modern Slavery Bill will give law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle modern slavery, ensure that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences for these appalling crimes, and enhance support and protection for victims. The modern slavery strategy, published on 29 November 2014, sets out our comprehensive programme of activity, including actions that we expect from Government departments, agencies and national and international partners.To drive improvements in our operational response to modern slavery across the UK, Kevin Hyland OBE has been appointed as ‘designate’ Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. His role will ensure that more perpetrators are caught and brought to justice and more victims are effectively identified and supported.

Road Traffic Offences

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) arrests were made and (b) prosecutions conducted for road traffic offences in each of the last five years.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The requested data is not collected centrally by the Home Office.Home Office collects arrest data for notifiable offences at offence group level. The Home Office also collected police recorded crime data at offence code level for notifiable offences. Road traffic offences, including drink-driving, using a handheld mobile phone while driving and dangerous driving are non-notifiable offences.The Home Office does collect data on the following:• The number of breath tests carried out by police, and the number of these that are positive/refused (see ‘Breath tests’ tables in the link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tables-for-police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013).• The number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issue for various motoring offences, including use of a handheld mobile phone while driving, careless driving and speeding offences (see ‘Fixed penalty notices’ tables in the link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tables-for-police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013).• The number of offences recorded by police for ‘causing death by dangerous driving’, ‘causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving’ and ‘causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs’. Details of these can be found in Table A4 of the ‘Appendix Tables’ in the link (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-372973).Ministry of Justice publish data on prosecutions for road traffic offences. The number of defendants proceeded against for summary motoring offences in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013 can be found in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ table in the link (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013).Ministry of Justice collect data on prosecutions for various offences at police force area level. The following tables contain data on the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts of drink-driving offences (table 1), dangerous driving (table 2), and offences relating to driving whilst using a mobile phone (table 3). Data is broken down by police force area from 2009 to 2013. Criminal court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in May 2015.   



Tables 1-3
(Excel SpreadSheet, 86 KB)

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly on 3 Feburary 2015, on the National Crime Agency, when she expects that Agency to be fully operational in Northern Ireland.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The National Crime Agency operates UK-wide, including in Northern Ireland, and provides support to its partner agencies there in relation to customs and immigration matters whilst continuing to exchange information with the PSNI. The NCA has, to date, been unable fully to target serious and organised crime groups in Northern Ireland involved in activities which require policing powers to tackle them. The draft Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015, was laid before Parliament on 29 January 2015. It makes provision for the NCA to operate in Northern Ireland with full powers including the ability to recover criminal assets in relation to offences that are devolved, together with the ability to request the recovery of assets overseas in civil recovery cases. This will make Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK a safer place and means the most serious criminals can be pursued wherever they are. The Order details commencement of the provisions, some of which will come into force the day after it is made, including the extension to Northern Ireland of all of the relevant civil recovery provisions relating to freezing and recovery orders. The related civil recovery investigation powers will require further secondary legislation relating to a Code of Practice. A number of provisions that relate to the NCA’s operational use of constable powers and covert techniques, which will be subject to a Memorandum of Understanding, which will come into force at the end of two months beginning with the day on which the Order is made. The Order may not be made until it has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what practical arrangements will be made for co-operation between the National Crime Agency and security services in the Irish Republic when that agency becomes fully operational in Northern Ireland.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 was laid before Parliament on 29 January. The Order makes provision for the National Crime Agency to operate in Northern Ireland with full powers. If approved by each House, it will allow NCA officers to be able to exercise constable powers and it also provides the NCA the ability to recover criminal assets in relation to offences that are devolved, together with the ability to request the recovery of assets overseas in civil recovery cases. This will make Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK a safer place and means the most serious criminals can be pursued wherever they are. The NCA has dedicated resources currently working with Irish law enforcement agencies to tackle the threat from organised crime that affects both our countries.

United Arab Emirates

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the UK-based organisations on the list of terrorist organisations and groups published by the United Arab Emirates government in November 2014 are terrorist organisations.

James Brokenshire: An assessment of whether a group is considered to be a terrorist organisation is made when it is considered for proscription. However we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription. A decision to proscribe an organisation must be based on a belief that it is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, and it must be proportionate.

Crime: North West

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hate crimes were reported in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office receives information on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police at the police force area level. Data are therefore available for Lancashire and for the aggregated forces in the North West and are on a financial year basis for the three years, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14. The available information is shown in the table below.Number of hate crimes recorded by the police in Lancashire and the North East, 2011/12 to 2013/14 Numbers  England and Wales, recorded crime1  2011/122012/132013/14  Lancashire9717771,027 North West6,5785,9626,783 Source: Police recorded crime, Home Office   1. Figures for 2011/12 relate to the total number of motivating factors in hate crimes. Some hate crimes will involve more than one motivating factor. Figures for 2012/13 and 2013/14 relate to the number of offences that were hate crimes, rather than the number of motivting factors.

Members: Correspondence

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219468, whether her Department received further copies of the letter emailed on 5 December 2014 to Jackie Godwin of the Home Office Correspondence Team and on 18 December 2014 to Dipesh Lakhani in the Private Office Support Team.

Karen Bradley: Copies of the letters emailed on 5 December 2014 to Jackie Godwin and on 18 December to Dipesh Lakhani were received and will respond by Thursday 12 February.

Tobacco: Packaging

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations from external organisations her Department has received on the effects of the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging on the illicit tobacco market in the UK; and what issues were raised in each of those representations.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has not received representations from any external organisations on the impact of the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products on the illicit tobacco market in the UK.

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Mark Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that staff in HM Revenue and Customs' new counter-avoidance directorate have received adequate training to deal with challenges to Accelerated Payment Notices.

Mark Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to produce a report on its progress in using accelerated payment notices.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ensures that all staff dealing with Accelerated Payment Notices have received appropriate training in the relevant legislation and the operational processes to be followed on receipt of representations made on accelerated payment notices that have been issued. A separate, specialised and trained team is responsible for dealing with representations received on these notices.   As part of its normal reporting of compliance and operational information, HMRC will include information on Accelerated Payments Notices in its Annual Report.

Lloyds Banking Group

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fees were paid to banks advising on the recent sale of Government shares in Lloyds Banking Group.

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many government shares in Lloyds Banking Group have been sold to date; and at what prices those shares were sold.

Andrea Leadsom: As set out by the National Audit Office (NAO) in their report on HMT’s Annual report and Accounts 2013/14, the Government has completed two separate disposals of shares in Lloyds Banking Group so far. In September 2013, UK Financial Investments (UKFI) sold 4,282 million Lloyds shares at 75.0 pence per share. In March 2014, UKFI sold a further 5,555 million shares at 75.5 pence per share.   On 17 December 2014 the Chancellor authorised the sale of a third part of the government’s shareholding via a trading plan. The plan is ongoing and will end no later than 30 June 2015.   As I informed the House in my written statement on 18 December, a statement will be laid before Parliament with further details at the end of the plan.

Banks: Taxation

Pamela Nash: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many banks his Department requested to adopt the Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks; and how many such banks subsequently adopted the code.

Andrea Leadsom: The Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks is open to all banks and building societies operating in the UK. This gives a total population of around 300. At Budget 2014, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published the list of banks that had adopted the Code of Practice as of that date. The list, which contained 283 entities, is available on the GOV.uk website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/banks-that-have-adopted-the-banking-code-of-practice. Finance Act 2014 introduced a requirement on HMRC to publish an annual report on the operation of the Code of Practice, which will include the names of those banks who have and those who have not unconditionally adopted the Code each year. The first annual report will be published later this year.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid in compensation to Equitable Life policyholders since the establishment of the compensation scheme; and by what date the full £1.5 billion of that scheme will be paid out.

Andrea Leadsom: As of 31st October 2014 the Equitable Life Payment Scheme had paid £990m to 887,061 policyholders. A further progress report will be published shorty. As With-Profits Annuitants receive a payment for the duration of their annuity, the Scheme is expected to continue making payments for some years to come.

Compulsory Purchase

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his speech to the Royal Economic Society on 14 January 2015, what steps his Department will take to engage with (a) the Country Landowners Association and (b) other rural organisations on the reforms to compulsory purchase proposed in that speech.

Danny Alexander: I thank the Honourable Member for Chesham and Amersham for tabling this question.   In his speech to the Royal Economic Society last month, the Chancellor set out the Government’s commitment to reforming the Compulsory Purchase Regime and making it clearer, faster and fairer for both affected landowners and developers alike.   At Budget, the department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury will jointly consult as a way to make compensation, interest payments and the Compulsory Purchase process fairer, more flexible and to encourage development. As part of this consultation we will work with rural organisations such as the Country Landowners Association.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fracking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether he has the power to overrule objections to hydraulic fracturing consents from (a) the Health and Safety Executive, (b) the Environment Agency, (c) Natural England and (d) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Matthew Hancock: DECC checks before giving drilling consent that – amongst other things – the HSE and the EA have no objections and requires evidence that the operator has secured the necessary development consent order from the relevant mineral planning authority. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) checks the well design and construction and the safety of drilling operations. The Environment Agency (EA) issues environmental permits and water abstraction licences if relevant. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State cannot overrule objections from any of these bodies.Natural England is a statutory consultee for mineral planning applications. Defra does not have a direct regulatory role in shale gas operations.

Green Climate Fund

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2015 to Question 219963, how many times the Green Climate Fund board has met during the last 12 months.

Amber Rudd: The Green Climate Fund Board met on four occasions during the last 12 months, comprising three formal Board meetings and one informal Board dialogue.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority spent in each of the last five years on (a) in-house research and development activities and (b) research and development activities funded directly through its contractors.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 04 February 2015



The figures for Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) direct research and development expenditure are published in its Annual Report and Accounts as follows:2009-10 £11m12010-11 £4.7m2011-12 £4.9m2012-13 £5m2013-14 £5mThe Nuclear Decommissioning Authority provides funding to its sites on an annual basis, but does not separately record site expenditure on research and development. 1 The 2009-10 figure is based on a wider definition than subsequent years, and includes R&D expenditure by the NDA’s Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD). NDA R&D expenditure in 2009-10 excluding RWMD was £5.9m.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of officiating the 13th onshore oil and gas licensing round; and how much his Department recouped from the sale of licences in that round.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 05 February 2015



The 13th onshore oil and gas licensing round was held in 2008. A review of the time spent considering 13th Round applications by staff involved in oil gas licensing estimated that the resource cost to the departmental had been £86,180.Licences are not sold, but there is a fee for applications. Licence application fees for the 13th Round totalled £60,000.

Biofuels

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report, Life cycle impacts of biomass electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the (a) reliability of evidence that the main UK biomass supplies come from North America and (b) effect of such imports on domestic industries; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: As part of their sustainability requirements, biomass generating stations must report their biomass sustainability data to Ofgem, and this includes the country of origin. This data is published annually on Ofgem’s website1. From later this year, biomass generators will also be required to have their sustainability data independently audited, annually.In 2013, the Department carried out an analysis of domestic and imported wood use by major biomass generating stations, using both the above sustainability reporting and additional five- year forecasts that large scale generators provided to the Department as part of a voluntary exercise2. The forecast weight of domestically sourced wood used for biomass power generation is expected to remain stable between 2.3 and 2.5 million oven dried tonnes (modt). This analysis supports the Department’s assessment that major generators intend to focus on international rather than domestic sources of wood.Furthermore, as ‘high quality’ wood, such as that suitable for saw logs and timber production, commands a significantly higher market price than residues, this makes high quality wood unattractive and unaffordable for use as woodfuel. Therefore market forces, both here and abroad, should mean mixed used of wood continues.[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/biomass-sustainability-dataset-2012-132 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246006/UK_wood_and_biomass.pdf

Biofuels

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what meetings he has had with stakeholders to discuss his Department's report, Life cycle impacts of biomass electricity in 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has spoken with, and exchanged correspondence with, industry representatives, academic experts and with environmental organisations about the report. Where correspondence has been received in the form of campaigns, the Government’s response has been published on its website.DECC officials have also engaged extensively with stakeholders on the report both during and after its preparation and will continue to do so as we further develop our evidence base.

Biofuels

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's conclusion that biomass requires significantly more energy input than other energy sources; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The report shows that biomass, when sourced responsibly, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy. The results of the BEAC calculator discussed in the report “Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020” allows users to choose between various scenarios and the calculator then models the possible global lifecycle GHG emissions and energy input requirement resulting from those scenarios. The energy input requirement is just one of the factors that need to be taken into account in order to develop a sustainable and low carbon energy policy.

Biofuels

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to his Department's report Life Cycle Impacts of Biomass Electricity in 2020, what assessment he has made of the implications of that report for the future of biomass energy in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The report shows that biomass, when sourced responsibly, can provide a cost-effective, low carbon and controllable source of renewable energy. We are committed to improving further the evidence base on the carbon impacts of heat and power generation from biomass. A programme of work is underway to understand the likelihood of the various scenarios developed in the report.This Government has introduced some of the toughest sustainability criteria in the world and we have taken steps to strengthen them further, introducing a trajectory of tightening GHG standards and a requirement to demonstrate that wood is sourced only from sustainably managed forests; together with reporting requirements which will allow us to assess how biomass is being sourced.

Natural Gas

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what limits he will impose on flaring of gas near to homes and businesses; and whether prevailing wind directions will be a consideration when setting restrictions on any flaring.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



Flaring of gas at onshore sites will require a permit from the Environment Agency. The Agency will require the applicant to carry out a risk assessment in line with published guidance. Where appropriate, they may require additional modelling which may include factors such as proximity to sensitive receptors (such as occupied premises) and prevailing wind direction. In any case, the Agency would normally expect the drilling operations to be at least 200 metres from the nearer sensitive receptor.Additionally, in their consideration of the suitability of the proposed location for any drilling, the local planning authority concerned should address potential impacts on local amenity, including from light and noise arising from flaring, as part of their consideration of the related planning application.Flaring of gas onshore or offshore also requires the consent of my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State under the Energy Act 1976. Our policy is that any flaring should be reduced to the economic minimum.

Fracking

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the risks posed by wells abandoned after use for high volume hydraulic fracturing.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The current regulatory framework requires that wells are made safe so that they can be decommissioned securely. Few instances are known of problems with decommissioned wells, and none of significant pollution caused by decommissioned wells.When operations finish, the licensee (and there may be more than one for each licence) is responsible for safe decommissioning of the well(s) and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use.The key aim of the procedure for decommissioning a well is to ensure that the well will require no further work and ensure that it is permanently sealed.The Health and Safety Executive scrutinises the design of all wells prior to any construction taking place. It also monitors well construction and will undertake joint visits to all new shale gas and oil wells with the Environment Agency. HSE also scrutinises the decommissioning/ abandonment process in the same way.

Geothermal Power

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many representations his Department has received from the geothermal industry suggesting or requesting changes to trespass laws; and if he will publish those representations.

Amber Rudd: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The Department has received a number of representations through the Renewable Energy Association (REA) on the underground access required for geothermal schemes, including representations through letters, meetings, and the Government’s ‘Consultation on Proposal for Underground Access for the Extraction of Gas, Oil or Geothermal Energy’.



03.10.13 REA Letter to Greg Barker
(PDF Document, 727.59 KB)




U'ground drilling access:REA consultation response
(PDF Document, 109.93 KB)

Fracking

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, over what period of time, at what time intervals, at which depths and for which substances he plans to monitor wells abandoned after use for high volume hydraulic fracturing.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The aim of the current regulatory framework is that wells are made safe so that they can be decommissioned with no need for on-going attention. In the UK very few instances are known of problems with decommissioned wells, and none of significant pollution caused by decommissioned wells.There is, however, a case for further quality assurance, with some period of monitoring post-decommissioning. We are discussing suitable arrangements with regulators and industry. As regards monitoring of the site restoration, this is a matter for the planning authority.In the 2014 Autumn Statement, the Government announced £31 million funding for a world-leading facility for research, technology and monitoring of the subsurface that will provide openly available data for academia, industry and regulators. The independent research will provide an evidence base for better regulation and to reassure the public that subsurface developments can be safe.

Heating

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate his Department has made of the potential average reduction in household energy consumption from installing smart heating controls.

Amber Rudd: Smarter heating controls have the potential to improve usability and enable more efficient home energy management. However, there is currently a lack of independently verified evidence on the average reduction in household energy consumption from installing smart heating controls. DECC is now working with energy suppliers and heating control manufacturers to explore how we can develop robust evidence on the impacts of different smart heating controls on energy consumption.

Offshore Industry

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the employment implications for (a) UK seafarers working in the offshore supply sector and (b) the UK register of Shell UK Ltd's decision to award Allseas Group SA the contract for decommissioning three of its Brent Field platforms on the UK Continental Shelf; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 09 February 2015



The contract award will see around 1,000 skilled people involved in the Brent decommissioning Project offshore, including many engineers. Brent decommissioning is a huge undertaking which has already generated investment allowing construction of a new quay and upgrading of Able UK Ltd’s onshore facilities. The construction and dismantlement activity will also create 200 new jobs. It paves the way for a new generation of North Sea related work in the decades ahead, this contract and its associated experience in dealing with large scale decommissioning projects could also help establish a UK decommissioning supply chain capable of taking forward the increasing numbers of projects we see coming forward in the next few years.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Sheffield

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many households in Sheffield, Heeley constituency received the Warm Home Discount in each of the last three years.

Amber Rudd: Data for the number of people applying for or receiving assistance under the Warm Home Discount scheme are not available on a regional or constituency basis. Ofgem publishes an annual report on the scheme’s operation each year. The most recent report, for 2013/14, is available here:https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/warm-home-discount-annual-report-scheme-year-3.



Warm Home Discount Annual Report 2013-4
(PDF Document, 2.06 MB)

Cabinet Office

Tony Blair

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Tony Blair has carried out any work for the Government since he left office.

Mr Francis Maude: Mr Blair has not carried out any work for the Government since leaving office. Mr Blair has a role as The Quartet Representative. The Quartet in an international body that has a mandate to help mediate Middle East peace negotiations. It consists of representatives from the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia. Mr Blair is not paid for this work.

Meetings

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria his Department uses to decide whether to make an exception to the convention that Cabinet minutes are not published.

Mr Oliver Letwin: In line with long-established convention, the Government does not generally publish information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the written statement of 4 February 2015, HCWS251, what the titles are of the four additional files that have been found; if he will place in the Library copies of those files; for what reason one file had been marked for destruction; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the process of reviewing the Cabinet Secretary's file to be completed; how many files are contained within that volume; how many such files have been indexed as part of the review to date; and for what reason those files were (a) uncatalogued and (b) unregistered before the review commenced.

Mr Francis Maude: I have placed copies of the following documents in the Library:· Cabinet Office Records Management Policy 2011· Cabinet Office Information Retention Policy 2011The policies in these documents in relation to paper files have remained the same as when the Hon. Member was a Minister in this Department. They were updated in 2011 to reflect changes in the Cabinet Office IT system.The work outlined in my written statement of 4 February is underway and will be completed as quickly as possible. Information on the Cabinet Secretaries' Miscellaneous Papers, which was closed in 2007, can be found online on The National Archives Catalogue under the series CAB301. The Papers are covered by a Lord Chancellor’s retention instrument issued in 23 September 2014 under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act to allow series of records which form part of a backlog awaiting appraisal or preparation for transfer to TNA. This is standard practice for handling sensitive papers and has been in place since 1958. It would therefore be inappropriate to say anything further about their content.Recording of file destruction is embedded within individual Cabinet Office records lists. Extracting the detail requested would have to be done manually and could only be delivered at disproportionate cost. The file marked for destruction had been reviewed in 2013 and had not met the criteria for permanent preservation as set out in the Records Collection Policy of The National Archives. Before final destruction took place, as part of standard processes, which have not changed since the Hon. Member was a Minister in this Department, a further review was undertaken and in the light of the content a decision was made not to destroy the file.

Electronic Government

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 104 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, on how many occasions the National Information Infrastructure has been accessed; and what assessment he has made of the economic and social effects of making datasets more widely available by means of that infrastructure.

Mr Francis Maude: The National Information Infrastructure (NII) dataset has been viewed nearly 1,000 times.This government has prioritised the release of open data for economic growth in the belief that people outside government are better placed to add value and build tools and services using this data. A report by Deloitte for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills from May 2013 calculated the value of public sector information to consumers, businesses and the public sector in 2011/12 was approximately £1.8 billion. However, the use and re-use of public sector information has much larger downstream impacts affecting all areas of society beyond the direct customer.Adding this social value estimate to the calculated value of public sector information to consumers, businesses and the public sector, gives an aggregate estimate of between £6.2 billion and £7.2 billion in 2011/12 (2011 prices).In 2012 we launched the Open Data Institute (ODI) to help incubate startup companies that use and/or produce open data. To date the ODI has worked with over 15 small businesses. Their first cohort of startups secured over £2m in contracts and investments.We are currently working on a second iteration of the NII with a view to furthering its impact.

Electronic Government

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 23 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, what the 327 external applications using Government data published on data.gov.uk referred to in that report are.

Mr Francis Maude: We publish a list of applications using open data on data.gov.uk but these are only those that developers choose to tell us about. We do not require people to do this so this is not an extensive list of all applications using government data.There are currently 363 external applications using government data published on data.gov.uk. The list of applications can be viewed at http://data.gov.uk/apps

Electronic Government

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the 10 (a) most frequently accessed and (b) least frequently accessed datasets published on data.gov.uk are.

Mr Francis Maude: There are currently over 19,000 published datasets on DGU. The site usage report on data.gov.uk lists the top twenty most frequently viewed datasets. The top 10 are:English Indices of Deprivation 2010Bona Vacantia Unclaimed Estates and AdvertsBuilding Price and Cost IndicesLower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) boundariesRoad Safety DataLive traffic information from the Highways AgencySocial TrendsStatistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, EnglandNational Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN)Health Survey for EnglandWe do not report on the least viewed datasets.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Sign Language

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for a British Sign Language Bill to promote the use of British Sign Language.

Mr Edward Vaizey: There are no plans at present to bring forward such proposals. However the Government cares very much about this issue. The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Disability meets regularly to review ways to improve communications and access to information for all people in our communities. The Minister for Disabilities, Mark Harper, chairs the group, which has its secretariat in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Arts: Primary Education

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what change in the level of participation there has been in (a) dance, (b) music, (c) theatre and (d) arts and crafts in primary schools in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Taking Part survey does not collect information on participation specifically for primary school children.Please find the Taking Part survey on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/taking-part

Arts: Secondary Education

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what change in level of participation there has been in (a) dance, (b) arts and crafts and (c) cultural computer activities in secondary schools in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Taking Part survey does not collect information on participation specifically for secondary school children. Please find the Taking Part survey on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/taking-part

Public Libraries

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries have (a) closed and (b) become volunteer-run since May 2010.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS monitors proposals by local authorities for any changes to their library service provision and our estimate of static library closures, from May 2010 to the end of December 2014, based on consulting a number of sources, is around 93. This means that the number of static libraries has fallen from slightly over 3,000 to just over 2,900. The DCMS does not collect information on the number of volunteer-run libraries.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2014 to Question 209985, how much of the Super Connected Cities Programme budget has been spent to date in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Superconnected Cities Programme capital spend to 31 December 2014 was (a) £15.98m for England and (b) £0.97m for Wales, with annual budget transfers to the devolved administrations of (c) £7.65m for Scotland, (d) £5.78m for Northern Ireland.Programme spend in all cities is expected to increase significantly as they complete their projects, and cities have been encouraged to commit their spending allocations by the end of March.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of progress on installation of satellite-accessed broadband in rural areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The DCMS is currently undertaking two market test projects which are trialling satellite broadband as part of its programme to explore options for delivery of superfast broadband to premises in areas of the UK which are not within the 95% of premises covered by the main superfast broadband programme.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he received legal advice on whether an agreement to vary the licence fee of mobile telephone operators to provide coverage in areas which are already served by one or two other operators constitutes state aid.

Mr Edward Vaizey: There is no agreement that varies the annual licence fees (ALFs) paid by mobile network operators (MNOs) for the use of spectrum. As part of the agreement on mobile coverage announced on 18 December 2014, Government brought the agreement to the attention of Ofcom in the context of their process to review ALFs. Ofcom will continue to set the revised level of ALFs independently, on the basis of full market value as set out under the Secretary of State’s Direction to Ofcom of 2010.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Box 3 on page 6 of the Green Book Appraisal and Valuation in Central Government, which of these possible outputs were produced before the Government's recent agreement with mobile network operators on improving mobile coverage across the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Government undertook a public consultation on measures to address poor mobile coverage in November 2014, and this included an impact assessment covering these measures. This impact assessment received a favourable opinion and a green rating from the independent Regulatory Policy Committee. The impact assessment is available on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-partial-not-spots-in-mobile-phone-coverage The agreement on mobile coverage announced on 18 December 2014 between Government and the four mobile network operators (MNOs) to improve mobile coverage is voluntary, and was not achieved through regulatory intervention. The MNOs have now made the agreed coverage obligations legally binding, by requesting that Ofcom vary their spectrum licences on a voluntary basis. Ofcom published the relevant licence variations on 2 February 2015.

Culture: Education

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Educational Endowment Foundation on cultural education.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport alongside the Department for Education and Arts Council England have worked together to increase the opportunities and support for any young person who wants to get involved with the arts. Over this Parliament over £400m has been invested in music and cultural education.  The EEF, which was set up in 2011 through a £125m grant from the Government, is funding and evaluating a number of projects that have a cultural education dimension (for example, looking at the link between music instruction and academic attainment). The EEF/Sutton Trust teaching and learning toolkit also summarises evidence on the impact of pupil participation in artistic and creative extra-curricular activities on academic learning and other outcomes.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the cost of each phase 2 broadband projects that have completed their procurements will be met by (a) BT, (b) BDUK and (c) the relevant local authority.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Eleven local bodies have signed contracts for their Phase 2 projects as of 4 February 2015. The committed funding levels are set out in the table below. Local Project areaBDUK FundingLocal authority fundingBT fundingBlack Country£2,891,500£2,891,500£3,764,006Cheshire£2,761,000£2,761,000£1,063,460Greater Manchester£450,000£450,000£415,928Hampshire£8,225,000£8,225,000£5,066,129Norfolk£6,000,000£6,000,000£3,300,811North Yorkshire£3,000,000£5,000,000£1,150,270Northamptonshire£3,375,000£4,040,000£3,201,883Oxfordshire£1,950,000£1,950,000£796,281South Yorkshire£8,000,000£8,000,000£7,562,189Suffolk£15,000,000£15,000,000£3,748,196Warwickshire£4,060,000£4,060,000£1,531,907

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what work his Department has done with each of the phase 2 broadband projects to identify, in relation to the broadband rollout, (a) alternative solutions, (b) joint working and fair capital contributions from suppliers and (c) other opportunities to promote competition and value for money.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Before the procurement process for the phase 2 broadband projects, Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) undertook extensive market engagement with suppliers. This revealed that no suppliers other than BT had the capacity, capability and interest to deliver at a national scale. BDUK therefore continued with a locally led delivery model as this allows Local Bodies to determine their preferred procurement route and to engage with local suppliers where prospect of local capacity and interest is available, as well as to explore alternative solutions that may better suit their particular localities. Their decisions are based on their own market research and supplier engagement. Over 20 Local Bodies considered an OJEU procurement for their phase 2 contracts. BDUK provides advice, guidance and support in this process.BDUK is also looking at ways to provide superfast broadband to the remaining 5% of the UK through investment in eight pilot projects to test new technologies and new delivery models.Regarding supplier funding, as the National Audit Office noted in its memorandum on the broadband programme, BDUK has reached agreement with BT on a new and improved reference finance model for phase 2, which will require 13% less public funding than the original model. BDUK undertakes robust analysis of all project proposals to determine if proposed solutions are offering value for money.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has used randomised controlled trials to test the effectiveness of its policies; and whether such trials have been used in the Phase 3 broadband pilots.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS has an evaluation strategy which it uses to help determine appropriate and proportionate evaluations are in place for DCMS policies.The objective of the Market Test pilots is to test the specific challenges of rolling out in the final 5% of the country. The solutions being tested were proposed by the market in an open procurement and projects were selected on the basis that they would deliver learnings about the technical and financial viability of the proposed solution. Locations were chosen to be representative of the hardest to reach areas - a randomised process was not required.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what factors he took into account and consultations he had with external organisations on the proposals made during negotiations with mobile network operators on improving mobile coverage across the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In considering options to improve mobile coverage, discussions were held with Ofcom, the four mobile network operators, and other Government departments. Additionally, the Government undertook a public consultation in November 2014 to seek views from all interested parties. We intend to publish a response to the consultation in due course. Many factors were taken into account in reaching the agreement in December 2014, with the overriding objective of delivering the best coverage outcome for consumers as swiftly as possible

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy has had on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code since 1 January 2015; and what representations he has received on this subject since that date.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on reform of the Electronic Communications Code.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether overtime payments relating to work carried out between 19 December 2014 and 2 January 2015 were made to officials advising on, or drafting revisions of, the Electronic Communications Code.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have been engaged in drafting amendments to the Electronic Communications Code.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, from which organisations he has received representations on reform of the Electronic Communications Code in 2015; and if he will publish those representations.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I work closely with my Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and we have regular discussions on a variety of issues, including the reform of Electronic Communications Code. The DCMS has received a number of stakeholder representations on this issue and will shortly be commencing a consultation exercise on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code. We will provide a Government response to this in due course, in line with normal Government practice. My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has engaged with the Prime Minister and Cabinet colleagues throughout the process of considering reforming the Electronic Communications Code. All legislation is subject to standard Cabinet committee clearances. In the period 19 December to 2 January 6.6 full time equivalent DCMS staff were working on reform of the Electronic Communications Code though the Office of Parliamentary Counsel drafted the actual clauses. No overtime was paid and their work will be taken forward as part of the forthcoming consultation.

UK City of Culture: Kingston upon Hull

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funds he has budgeted to support Hull as UK City of Culture 2017 in each financial year until 2017-18.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS has committed no direct funding to support Hull as City of Culture 2017. While DCMS funds the selection competition for the UK City of Culture programme, it does not offer any direct funding to the winning city. However, Arts Council England (ACE) have increased their investment in Hull, with over £3m for national portfolio organisations in the city from 2015-18, including Hull Truck Theatre which has recently benefited from additional ACE funding. Government also recently announced £1.5m funding to support the Ferens Gallery's ambitions to host the Turner Prize in 2017.

Broadband

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of broadband connections that are above 10 mbps.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to the Ofcom Infrastructure Report published in December 2014 85% of UK households have a connection of 10Mbits or more available to them: Ofcom estimate that 43% of households have taken up a broadband connection at that speed. Virtually all of these households have the option of upgrading to superfast broadband.

Non-departmental public bodies

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his letter of 3 July 2013 to the Chairman of VisitBritain, which organisations funded by his Department are required to hold a five per cent contingency which at any point may need to be drawn back into the Department; and what the total amount of such contingency funds held by those organisations is.

Mrs Helen Grant: No contingency budgets are held by this Department and it does not require contingency budgets or funds to be held by any of its Arm's Length Bodies. This contingency planning approach was taken in order to maximise the amount of funds going to front-line services while remaining sufficiently flexible to meet government targets for reducing public sector net borrowing.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to improve broadband capacity in rural areas along the English-Welsh borders.

Mr Edward Vaizey: BDUK has allocated £56.93m under Phase 1 and up to £12.11m under Phase 2 of the Superfast Broadband programme, alongside investment from the European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government and BT, to the Superfast Cymru project taking coverage to at least 96% of Welsh premises by the end of 2017. Work is now under way in all 22 Local Authority areas in Wales, including those along the border area.A total of £31.5m has been allocated to the local projects that border Wales (Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, Cheshire and Shropshire) under Phase 1 of the programme, taking coverage in these areas to a further 233,185 premises. Up to £25.1 million has been allocated to these projects under Phase 2. Full details on individual project allocations are available on the following link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zwLLqmDnfnjA.khRmsBv2kR70

Broadband: Urban Areas

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with which interlocutors in the European Commission on subsidising urban broadband; whether he has sought legal advice; and what estimate he has made of the cost of subsidising urban broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the European Commission on subsidising urban broadband. However, my Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and DCMS officials, including lawyers, engaged with DG Competition at Commissioner and official level, on both urban and rural broadband, in the run up to the publication of the European Commission Broadband Guidelines in 2013. The guidelines govern the terms under which member states can intervene in the provision of broadband in urban areas.Analysis suggests around 1 per cent of the final 5 per cent of premises not covered by the Government's current Superfast roll-out programme is located in inner-city areas. The Government is encouraging the commercial sector to address as much of that 1 per cent as quickly as possible. For example BT have committed an extra £50m of private funding for this purpose. Virgin Media has also recently announced further deployments in city areas.

Nuisance Calls and Texts Task Force

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the members of the nuisance calls taskforce were black and minority ethnic; and whether any members of that task force had previously been employed by Vodafone, O2, Three or EE.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The taskforce on nuisance calls was led by Which? and investigated consent and lead generation issues within the direct marketing industry. Which? is an independent consumer body, therefore Government is not in a position to answer such questions on its behalf.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what definition of market failure he used in assessing the deal with the mobile network operators and the necessity of accepting a reduction in the planned increase in annual licence fees.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The government consulted on options to improve mobile coverage as it was keen to see improvements for consumers. The agreement reached with MNOs in December did not include any reduction in the annual licence fees (ALFs) paid by mobile network operators (MNOs) for the use of spectrum. As part of the agreement on mobile coverage announced on 18 December 2014, Government brought the agreement to the attention of Ofcom in the context of their process to review ALFs. Ofcom will continue to set the revised level of ALFs independently, on the basis of full market value as set out under the Secretary of State’s Direction to Ofcom of 2010.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contribution to the public purse is budgeted to be received from annual licence fees paid by mobile network operators in each of the next three financial years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: There are no forecasts for individual fees such as Annual Licence Fees in OBR forecasts, instead these are projected forward on an aggregate basis from the latest out-turn data. The latest out-turn number available is £64.4m.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's announcement, Government secures landmark deal for UK mobile phone users, published on 18 December 2014, what estimate he has made of changes in annual licence fees paid by mobile phone companies arising from that announcement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: No estimate has been made of any change in annual licence fees (ALFs), as Ofcom is currently conducting an independent review and has not published final revised ALF levels. As part of the agreement on mobile coverage announced on 18 December 2014, Government brought the agreement to the attention of Ofcom in the context of their process to review ALFs. Ofcom will continue to set the revised level of ALFs independently, on the basis of full market value as set out under the Secretary of State’s Direction to Ofcom of 2010.

Mobile Phones

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the economic and social benefits arising from increasing the number of mobile network operators in areas where fewer than three operators provide services.

Mr Edward Vaizey: On 5 November 2014 Government published a consultation on measures to address poor mobile coverage. This included an impact assessment that assessed the benefit to consumers from extending mobile coverage. This impact assessment received a favourable opinion and a green rating from the independent Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), and was subsequently selected by the RPC to be used as an example of good analysis. The impact assessment is available on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tackling-partial-not-spots-in-mobile-phone-coverage

Arts: Primary Education

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education about increasing participation in (a) music, (b) drama, (c) dance and (d) art at primary school level.

Mr Edward Vaizey: My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and my Right Hon. friend the Secretary of State for Education recently announced an additional £109 million for music and cultural education for 2015/16 taking the amount invested in music and cultural education in this Parliament to over £400 million.I jointly chair the Cultural Education Board with the Schools Minister and Darren Henley, author of reports into music and cultural education. Good progress has been made against the reports' recommendations.The Taking Part Survey (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sat--2) shows that arts participation overall has increased from 97.2 per cent in 2008/09 to 98.9 per cent in 2013/14 for 5-10 year olds.

Arts: Primary Education

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of primary school children participating in (a) music, (b) drama, (c) dance and (d) art in the 2014-15 academic year.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the change in the number of primary school children participating in (a) music, (b) drama, (c) dance and (d) art between 2010 and 2014.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Taking Part survey does not collect information on participation specifically for primary school children. In any case, the data for the 2014/15 financial year is not yet available.Please find the Taking Part survey on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/taking-part

Arts: Secondary Education

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of secondary school children participating in (a) music, (b) drama, (c) dance and (d) art in the 2014-15 academic year.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Taking Part survey does not collect information on participation specifically for secondary school children. In any case, the date for the 2014/15 financial year is not yet available. Please find the Taking Part survey on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/taking-part

Deputy Prime Minister

Voting Behaviour: Scotland

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what outcomes are expected from the Omnibus Polling Scotland project put out to tender on the 26 November 2014.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Cabinet Office has commissioned research into the level of understanding of the devolution settlement in Scotland to improve to public services, monitor efficiency and inform policy development.

Devolution: Scotland

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, who the designated client MD and Strategy Director was, responsible for the contract for the provision of Communications - Creative and Delivery Services commissioned from Engine Partners UK LLP by the Devolution Team.

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what sub-contractors were engaged by Engine Partners UK LLP in the fulfilment of their contract for the provision of Communications - Creative and Delivery Services by Engine Partners UK LLP with the Devolution Team of the Cabinet Office.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We are not aware of any subcontractors that were used by Engine Partners UK LLP as part of the delivery of this campaign. Printing services were delivered by Williams Lea, an official government supplier and distribution was done by Royal Mail.We cannot disclose the names of individuals in the private sector as privacy and data protection issues prevent us from doing so.

Devolution: Scotland

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether the market research conducted by Ipsos-Mori on attitudes in Scotland towards Scottish independence was shared with Engine Partners UK LLP as part of their contract for the provision of communications services for the Devolution Team within the Cabinet Office.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Market research conducted by Ipsos Mori on attitudes in Scotland was shared with Engine Partners UK as part of their contract for provision of communication services.

Stephen Kerney

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, whether, in his official capacity, he has met Stephen Kearney.

Mr Nick Clegg: I have met Stephen Kearney, but not in my official capacity as Deputy Prime Minister.

Departmental Responsibilities

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent steps he has taken to support the Prime Minister in the full range of Government policy initiatives.

Mr Nick Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 10 February during Deputy Prime Minister Oral Questions.

Voting Rights: Young People

Natascha Engel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote.

Mr Nick Clegg: I am a strong advocate of lowering the voting age to 16. I look forward to a time when we have genuine cross-party consensus to give all 16 and 17 year olds across the United Kingdom the right to vote, and bring forward legislation to that effect.

Voting Behaviour: Young People

Ann McKechin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the Government's policy is on increasing participation amongst young voters.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The introduction of online registration makes registering to vote quicker, simpler and more convenient than ever before. Over 1 million applications to register to vote have been made by young people.On 4 February the Government announced that a number of national organisations will receive funding to promote voter registration. The organisations include the British Youth Council and UK Youth. We will also fund student organisations including the NUS.In addition we have supported data sharing initiatives whereby universities share directly with Electoral Registration Officers the details of students who can then be contacted individually.

Local Government: Urban Areas

Richard Graham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to devolve power to small cities.

Greg Clark: This Government has devolved more powers and responsibilities to cities and local government than any other Government in a generation. After two successful rounds of City Deals, the Government introduced Growth Deals to ensure that everywhere in England had the opportunity to negotiate for funding and the freedoms and flexibilities needed to drive their local economies. So far, £7bn has been awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships through Growth Deals. £77.5m has been awarded to Gloucestershire, including £4.1m for the regeneration of Blackfriars in Gloucester, £4.7m for the Gloucester King’s Quarter Bus Station and £2m for Gloucester South West Bypass.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Oxfordshire

John Howell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership on devolving powers and responsibilities from Whitehall.

Greg Clark: In 2014, we announced 39 Growth Deals as the first phase of a £12 billion boost to local economies. On 29 January 2015, we announced an expansion to these successful Growth Deals of a further £1 billion.  For Oxfordshire this will see an extra £9.9m invested between 2016 and 2021. This is in addition to the £108.5m of funding committed by the Government on 7 July 2014.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: South East

Sir David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership on devolving powers and responsibilities from Whitehall.

Greg Clark: Last week I announced a £46.1 million extension to the South East LEPs Growth Deal, which brings total Growth Deal investment in the South East to over £488 million. This investment will have a direct and significant impact in Southend and provides for the further expansion of London Southend Airport onto a 55-acre site to create a high end Business Park, 858 homes and up to 2600 new jobs. This expanded Growth Deal builds on the successes of the Southend City Deal which, is predicted to secure direct business support for over 1,000 businesses.

Local Government: Powers

Henry Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what plans he has to bring forward proposals for further devolution for England.

Greg Clark: Devolution to local areas is important to this Government and we have a proud record - the Localism Act, the creation of Local Enterprise Partnerships, the Local Government Finance Act, 28 City Deals and the devolution of at least £12bn through Growth Deals which provide the opportunity for all local areas in England to negotiate for freedoms and flexibilities to maximise their economic growth.

Department of Health

Home Care Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of unnecessary bureaucracy on agency care workers so as to maximise the time spent with those for whom they provide home care.

Norman Lamb: It is not clear what ‘bureaucracy’ is being referred to. Some bureaucracy or form-filling is required for legitimate purposes e.g. care records and forms related to employment (for example timesheets to enable staff to be paid, record of training and development for regulation by the Care Quality Commission).   The Care and Support statutory guidance issued under the Care Act 2014 clearly articulates that local authorities should ensure that commissioned services result in effective provision of care. It states:   4.31 When commissioning services, local authorities should assure themselves and have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels for care and support services are appropriate to provide the delivery of the agreed care packages with agreed quality of care. This should support and promote the wellbeing of people who receive care and support, and allow for the service provider ability to meet statutory obligations to pay at least minimum wage and provide effective training and development of staff.   This applies whether staff are directly employed or are agency staff.   The Care Act guidance can be found at:   https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315993/Care-Act-Guidance.pdf

Anaemia: Vitamin B12

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what evidence the standard time between prescribed injections of replacement vitamin B12 for pernicious anaemia sufferers was determined; and if he will review the guidance on that time.

Norman Lamb: The treatment of pernicious anaemia, the result of a vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency, is well established and reported in the British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) document, Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Cobalamin and Folate disorders, which was updated in May 2014.   Current clinical practice within the United Kingdom is to treat pernicious anaemia with Vitamin B12 intramuscular injections. The guideline states that standard maintenance therapy for patients presenting without neurological symptoms is 1,000 microgrammes every three months. Those with initial neurological symptoms should receive 1,000 microgrammes every two months. The guideline can be found via the BCSH website at the following link:   www.bcshguidelines.com   However, the frequency with which vitamin B12 injections are provided to patients with pernicious anaemia is matter for individual clinicians, taking into account the relevant clinical guidance, the prescribed dose and the patient’s response to the treatment.

Diabetes: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diabetes specialist nurses were employed in East Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department does not collect the data requested. There are now over 6,300 more nurses, midwives and health visitors working in the NHS in England compared to May 2010.   Local National Health Service organisations, with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population, invest in training for specialist skills and deploy specialist nurses. Specialist nurses provide invaluable support for patients and their families. They are able to provide specialist treatment and advice and act as a gateway to other members of the multidisciplinary team, which can both save the NHS money and, more importantly, improve care and outcomes for patients.

Diabetes: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with diabetes in East Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not available. Information on the number of patients in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) registered in primary care with a general practitioner (GP) practice in the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) that were newly diagnosed with diabetes in the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 audits is shown in the following tables.   Table 1: Number of people newly diagnosed with diabetes in each audit year for East Lancashire CCG  2009-102010-112011-122012-13NHS East Lancashire CCG1,3201,1951,4751,479   Table 2: The coverage of the NDA based on the number of participating practices in the East Lancashire CCG in each of the audit years  2009-102010-112011-122012-13NHS East Lancashire CCGCCGs were created in April 2013;participation prior to the 2012-13 auditis recorded at Primary Care Trust (PCT)level and is not directly comparable 94.9%   Notes: 1. Participation in the NDA, which audits diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care, is not mandatory. The NDA does not have 100% coverage or participation so the information in Table 1 will be incomplete. Table 2 shows the proportion of GP practices in East Lancashire CCG participating in the audit in each audit year. 2. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are the authoritative source for all Paediatric diabetes audit data. 3. The NDA currently only holds data for 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Each audit covers a 15 month period, for example the 2012-13 audit was for the period 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2013. 4. Due to the 15 month audit period from January to March, a patient could be classed as newly diagnosed in two audit periods, for example if the patient were diagnosed in 2012 and appeared in the 2011-12 and the 2012-13 audit they could be counted twice, once in each year. 5. The data at CCG level is collated by mapping data from GP practices for each audit year to their current CCG. Prior to the 2011-12 audit, the NDA reported at PCT level. Where PCT and CCG boundaries differ, the figures here will differ to published figures from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 audits. 6. NDA 2012-13 comprised data from 1.9 million persons with diabetes in England. Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) states there are approximately 2.7 million persons aged 17 or over with diabetes in England alone. 7. NDA 2012-13 comprised data from 5,666 practices in England, there are around 8,000 practices in England. 8. Coverage of the NDA based on practices in the NHS East Lancashire CCG is shown in Table 2 above.   Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre – National Diabetes Audit

Diabetes: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire who have been diagnosed with diabetes are receiving the nine basic monitoring tests.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected. Although the Health and Social Care Information Centre holds Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) diabetes data, the indicators within the QOF do not match the nine basic monitoring tests.   The table below shows the completion rate for all eight measurable care processes assessed in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA), the number of patients completing all eight care processes and the number not completing all eight care processes. This is provided for the eight clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in the Lancashire area. Also provided is the participation rate for each CCG.   The care processes are those which the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence recommends should be part of an annual check for people with diabetes.   The data provided is from the 2012-13 audit year.   Registrations - all diabetes1 2012-13 NDAAll 82 care process completion rateNumber of registrations completed all 8 processesNumber of registrations not completed all 8 processesParticipation rate3NHS East Lancashire CCG17,85666.7%11,9075,94994.9%NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG9,07070.6%6,4002,670100.0%NHS Blackpool CCG9,65965.9%6,3623,297100.0%NHS Chorley and South Ribble CCG8,71866.0%5,7562,96296.8%NHS Greater Preston CCG8,11462.6%5,0793,03579.4%NHS Lancashire North CCG3,89572.0%2,8051,09061.5%NHS West Lancashire CCG5,53963.9%3,5411,998100.0%NHS Fylde and Wyre CCG7,01671.5%5,0191,99785.7% 1All diabetes includes maturity onset diabetes of the young, other specified diabetes and not specified diabetes 2The eye screening care process has been removed from this figure due to data quality issues. This figure comprises the following care processes: HbA1c Blood pressure Cholesterol Serum creatinine Urine albumin Foot surveillance Body Mass Index Smoking 3Participation is calculated from the percentage of general practitioner (GP) practices participating in the NDA 2012-13 out of all GP practices within the CCG

Meningitis: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2014 to Question 222307, when his Department next plans to meet the manufacturers of the MenB vaccine; and by what date he expects negotiations with those manufacturers to be concluded.

Jane Ellison: The Department met with the manufacturer of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero® on 30 January 2015 and will be meeting again shortly. The negotiations for the supply of Bexsero® at a cost-effective price will be completed as soon as possible.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, purusant to the Answer of 26 January 2015 to Question 221173, if he will make it his policy to require NHS England to (a) improve the collection of data relating to musculoskeletal conditions and (b) determine the number of people with musculoskeletal conditions who have had an operation cancelled for non-clinical reasons in this financial year.

Norman Lamb: The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects information in Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) on Outpatients and Admitted Patient Care at diagnosis and procedure level, which includes data relating to musculoskeletal conditions. HES does not, however, include information on cancelled operations.   NHS England collects and publishes quarterly data on elective operations cancelled on or after the day of admission for non-clinical reasons. It does not collect a breakdown of the type of operations that have been cancelled, or the diagnosis of the patients affected.   The Department has no plans to request changes to either of these data collections, neither does NHS England have any current plans to change data collections. However, the NHS England National Clinical Director for Musculoskeletal Services is working closely with the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance to develop thinking around how improvements might be made to data sources in this area.

NHS: Private Finance Initiative

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS bodies are responsible for monitoring costs and performance of PFI contracts.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The most recently published figure for current annual cost of private finance initiative (PFI) repayments shows that at the end of 2013/14, the annual revenue payments (Unitary Charge Payment) for PFI schemes in the health sector was £1,806 million.   Under the standard PFI contract, contractors are required to set up a Performance Monitoring System against the individual service specifications. The contract also requires the National Health Service procuring body (e.g. an NHS trust) to establish its own monitoring arrangements to measure the performance of the contractor, to be done either using the operator's system or its own (under the contract the trust always has the right to check how the contractor is operating). Officials from the Department help local contract managers where requested in relation to PFI contractual issues.   Under this Government, officials from the Department are also working with individual operational PFI projects on a programme to secure cost savings from contracts following a Treasury-led pilot exercise in 2011. In June 2013, a Code of Conduct was agreed with contractors involved in the PFI/Public Private Partnership industry to work together on savings initiatives.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his assessment is of the effect on service providers of the proposed methodology for determining national prices for NHS services.

Jane Ellison: The ‘Impact assessment for the proposals set out in the ‘2015/16 National Tariff Payment System: A consultation notice’ document can be accessed under the Supporting Documents heading via the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-tariff-payment-system-201516-a-consultation-notice   The section entitled ‘Key findings: impacts on providers’ can be found on pages 4-7 of this document.

NHS: Translation Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce translation and interpretation costs in the NHS.

Norman Lamb: It is for National Health Service providers to decide how much funding they allocate towards the cost of providing translation and interpretation services for patients, their families and the public.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the incurred but not reported provision for clinical negligence is in 2014-15.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) indemnifies National Health Service organisations in England and many independent sector providers of NHS care against claims.   The valuations of the NHS LA’s ‘Incurred But Not Reported’ (IBNR) provisions for 2014/15 are not yet available.   As part of its financial year-end processes, the NHS LA undertakes an actuarial review of the provisions held against all the schemes it administers. This includes a review of the assumptions used to calculate the IBNR provisions for all its schemes.   The valuations of IBNR provisions for 2014/15 will be published in the NHS LA’s annual accounts, which are formally laid before Parliament prior to the summer recess.

Patients: Safety

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Strategic Executive Information System reports dating from before the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are waiting conclusion.

Dr Daniel Poulter: Data and information safeguarding was strengthened under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. When data was extracted on 4 February the Strategic Executive Information System (STEIS) held reports of 1,255 Serious Incidents whose status was not classified as ‘closed’. It is not possible to determine from the database which of these incidents had been resolved locally.   The principles for responding to Serious Incidents are set out in the current Serious Incident Framework, published in March 2013, and this includes the roles and responsibilities of providers and commissioners including effective governance and learning from a serious incident.   NHS England is currently refreshing the Serious Incident Framework to take account of supporting all the guidance produced since March 2013 over 2013-14 and to reflect operational feedback on the implementation of the 2013 Framework.

Care Homes: Conditions of Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to amend the statutory guidance for the Care Act 2014 to ensure that local authorities take steps to discourage the use of zero-hours contracts by the care providers they commission.

Norman Lamb: High quality, compassionate care for the most vulnerable in society can only be delivered by a well-trained, motivated and appropriately remunerated workforce. Zero-hours contracts in the care and support sector are often inconsistent with high quality services, risk continuity of support for those who need it, and in some cases may be exploitative.   However, we know that some care workers and care businesses value the flexibility that zero-hour or part-time contracts provide and, in limited circumstances, they can be appropriate.   The Government is taking action to improve working conditions for care workers, for example, working with the sector to launch the Recruitment and Retention Strategy. More widely, the new Care Act gives local authorities a core duty to promote their local markets in care and support services, with a particular focus on diversity, sustainability and quality. The Act will require local authorities to consider the impact of their own commissioning decisions on the quality of services individuals receive. Whilst local authorities do not directly employ the vast majority of care workers, they will now need to consider how to encourage an effective workforce able to deliver services to those individuals for whom they arrange care and support.   The Department has recently published statutory guidance to support the implementation of the Care Act that describes how local authorities must meet these new duties when commissioning, including assuring themselves that providers they contract with provide services through a remunerated workforce capable of delivering high quality care.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the independent market study of alcohol labelling will be published.

Jane Ellison: The Campden BRI report on delivery of the Responsibility Deal pledge from industry to ensure that 80% of products on shelf will have labels with clear unit content, National Health Service guidelines and a warning about drinking when pregnant was published on 5 November 2014. The report is attached and is also available at:   https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Campden-BRI_Audit-of-PHRD-labelling-compliance-2014-_FINAL-report_October2014-final.pdf   The report found that: - 79.3% provided all three elements correctly (meeting the commitment); - 92.8% provided correct pregnancy information; - 87% provided correct unit content; and - 82.8% provided correct lower-risk drinking guidelines.   Comparison of progress since 2008 (trend data) found that: - unit information increased by 22%; - the Chief Medical Officer’s lower-risk drinking guidelines by 314%; and - pregnancy warnings were boosted by 122%. Just 18% carried this six years ago. 



Campden BRI report-PHRD labelling compliance 2014
(PDF Document, 1.23 MB)

Cervical Cancer

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce (a) demographic and (b) geographic inequalities in (i) cervical screening uptake and (ii) HPV vaccination rates.

Jane Ellison: We recognise the seriousness of this issue, and the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening will be convening this month and will be discussing coverage on cervical screening at this meeting.   The commissioning and provision of Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunisation, including addressing inequalities, is a matter for local determination between relevant local health organisations. These arrangements are underpinned by a national framework which specifies the levels of service to be provided. Within this framework the Secretary of State places a legal responsibility on NHS England to ensure that HPV immunisation providers are commissioned so that “they maintain and improve current immunisation coverage with the aim of 100% of relevant individuals being offered immunisation”.   As I have previously stated in the debate on 1 May 2014, Official Report column 1051, although this country has amongst the highest rates of HPV vaccine coverage in the world and this is to be welcomed, we cannot be complacent, and we want to get the fullest possible coverage. NHS England has a robust assurance process to look at outliers and variation across England and to support local teams in “ensuring efforts are made to include as part of the programme girls from communities with objections on family or religious beliefs to immunisation and hard to reach groups, which may include looked after children and girls from traveller communities. Health professionals must take all opportunities, particularly those contacts during the early years to remind parents and carers of the importance of immunisations and the need to have them at the appropriate times.”

Health Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the NHS budget is spent on prevention of ill health.

Jane Ellison: Information on the proportion of the National Health Service budget which is spent on preventing ill health is not collected centrally.   It is not possible to calculate the total sum spent by the NHS on prevention. However, NHS England commissions certain public health services at a national level, and in 2014-15 NHS England received a ring-fenced £1.9 billion to commission the following programmes: - National immunisation programmes; - National routine screening programmes (both cancer and non-cancer); - Children’s public health services for 0-5 year olds, including the Health Visitors and Family Nurse Partnerships (until 30 September 2015 when this will transfer to local authorities); - Child Health Information Systems; - Public health services for people in places of detention; and - Sexual Assault Referral Centres.   In addition to this, local authorities have primary responsibility for delivering public health services and we have allocated ring-fenced funding of £8.3 billion over a three year period to deliver public health programmes locally.   Prevention is a key part of NHS England’s Five Year Forward View, as prevention is key to keeping people healthy, out of hospital, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the health and care system.

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new organisations have been established following the coming into force of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Jane Ellison: As a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, 255 organisations have been established, of which 211 are clinical commissioning groups. 171 organisations have been abolished following the Act.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral contribution of 28 January 2015, Official Report, column 872, on NHS major incidents, whether any Ministers or officials of his Department knew about changes to local guidance.

Jane Ellison: The decision to issue this guidance was taken by the local National Health Service. No Ministers or Department officials were involved. Declaration of a major incident is a decision for the local NHS to take, and this remains the case.

General Practitioners: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people saw an out-of-hours GP at each general hospital in Lancashire in December 2014.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Ovarian Cancer

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Be Clear on Cancer regional pilot in ovarian cancer on (a) survival rates, (b) early diagnosis and (c) general awareness of ovarian cancer.

Jane Ellison: For each Be Clear on Cancer campaign there is a comprehensive evaluation process. Data is collected on a number of metrics to reflect the possible campaign impact on key elements of the patient pathway. Metrics evaluated include survival rates, indicators for earlier diagnosis and general awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms.   For the regional ovarian pilot in the North West, we have so far been able to look at the following metrics: - cancer awareness levels; - urgent general practitioner (GP) (two week wait) referrals for suspected gynaecological cancers; - ovarian cancers diagnosed following a two week wait referral; - all ovarian cancers diagnosed and recorded in the cancer waiting times database; - conversion rate (percentage of two week wait referrals resulting in a cancer diagnosis); and - detection rate (percentage of Cancer Waiting Times (CWT) recorded cancers resulting from a two week wait referral).   Some of the information required to fully evaluate campaigns takes longer to collate and analyse but gradually over time, when combined together, the metrics we analyse build up a detailed picture of potential campaign effects. This will include analysis of the following data: - GP attendances; - diagnostic tests, including CA125; - numbers of cancers recorded by the National Cancer Registration Service; - stage at diagnosis; and - one year survival.   The National Cancer Intelligence Network (part of Public Health England) have confirmed that they will publish a full and final evaluation report for the regional ovarian cancer pilot campaign as soon as possible, when analysis of all metrics is complete. However, in advance of a final evaluation report, they aim to publish an interim report containing the cancer awareness levels and the results from the analysis of CWT data before the end of February 2015, at which time we will share these results with the ovarian cancer expert group and ovarian cancer charities.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people ordinarily resident in the UK have a European Health Insurance Card.

Jane Ellison: As of 31 December 2014 there were 26,801,935 valid European Health Insurance Cards issued to people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, in circulation.

Sleep Apnoea

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2015 to Question 220689, when he expects NICE to have developed a quality standard on sleep-disordered breathing.

George Freeman: NHS England is the lead commissioner for clinical guideline and quality standard for healthcare topics from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has advised that it has received a formal referral for a clinical guideline and quality standard on sleep disordered breathing from NHS England.   NICE’s clinical guideline work programme is prioritised with NHS England on an annual basis. Sleep disordered breathing has not been included in the initial list of topics to start development in 2015-16 but will be included in future rounds of prioritisation. Once it has been scheduled, the guideline will then take approximately two years to develop and the development of the quality standard will follow on from this.

Land

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the value of surplus land held by his Department.

Dr Daniel Poulter: As part of the Government’s land disposal programme, the Department of Health has sold land with capacity for more than 3,200 houses, against a target of 3,609. Our current estimate of the value of surplus land remaining, held by this Department, is £54.8 million.

Land

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what briefing his Department gave to the media ahead of his speech to the King's Fund on 13 November 2014 in relation to surplus land held by his Department.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department did not provide any briefing to media in relation to land held only by the Department.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children and young people were admitted to A&E because of mental illness in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children and young people were referred to a mental health inpatient unit after presenting at A&E in each year since 2010.

Norman Lamb: The table below outlines the total number of children and young people attending accident and emergency (A&E) with a diagnosis of ‘psychiatric conditions’. Row number 1 outlines the number of children and young people who were admitted to a bed within the same trust after presenting at A&E in each year since 2010. Row number 2 outlines the number of children and young people who attended A&E with a diagnosis of ‘psychiatric conditions’ in each year since 2010.   Count of A&E attendances (excluding planned attendances) for patients up to and including 18 years of age with an A&E diagnosis of ‘psychiatric conditions’ broken down by attendance disposal type (how the A&E attendance ended) for 2010-11 to 2013-14   Activity in English NHS Hospitals and England NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector   RowAttendance Disposal Type2010-112011-122012-132013-141Admitted to hospital bed / became a lodged patient of the same health care provider2,7053,2894,0065,3672Total number of children and young people who attended A&E with a diagnosis of ‘psychiatric conditions’9,32811,61413,65517,278   Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre   The data does not show whether children and young people were admitted to an inpatient Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services unit. It is possible they may have been admitted to other inpatient units.   Hospital Episode Statistic figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.   It should be noted that this is not a count of patients as the same patient may have been admitted more than once in a year.

Cancer: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2015 to Question 222049, whether his Department has funded any campaigns specifically to raise awareness of cancer amongst children since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: Although the Department has not funded any campaigns to specifically raise awareness of cancer amongst children since May 2010, A Strategy for Cancer, published on 12 January 2011, committed over £450 million to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer, including awareness campaigns. However, it is not possible to break this spending down to individual age groups.   The Department continues to work with Public Health England, NHS England, relevant experts and other stakeholders, to keep the Be Clear on Cancer campaigns under review and to see what might be done to tackle awareness of the symptoms of other cancers, such as cancers amongst children.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what performance indicators relating to child and adolescent mental health that were collected before the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are no longer collected.

Norman Lamb: Before the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, there were seven performance measures related to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), four of these were for commissioners and three for providers. Those for providers relate to numbers of bed days for under-18s on CAMHS wards, for under-16s on adult wards and for 16-17 year olds on adult wards. These figures are still published by NHS England.   Those for commissioners were as follows:   - ‘Has a full range of CAMHS for children and young people with learning disabilities been commissioned?’; - ‘Do 16 and 17 year olds who require mental health services have access to services and accommodation appropriate to their age and level of maturity?’; - ‘Are arrangements in place to ensure that 24 hour cover is available to meet urgent mental health needs of children and young people and for a specialist mental health assessment to be undertaken within 24 hours or the next working day where indicated?’; and - ‘Is a full range of early intervention support services delivered in universal settings and through targeted services for children experiencing mental health problems commissioned by the Local Authority and Primary Care Trust in partnership?’   These four indicators are no longer collected but a minimum dataset is being developed for Maternity and Child health, which will include CAMHS data. In addition, the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme which is transforming CAMHS throughout England has its own performance measures.

Gambling

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about gambling addiction since May 2010.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Health has had no discussions or meetings with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the subject of gambling addiction.